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1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

By  jamcs  M.  Campbell 

Mr.  CHiip'ofll  wiitcs  in  glowing 
a;i  1  f|>ii;r.iinnuitii  si-nti-ni.es.  His 
style  is  ni.iiki-d  l>y  ncrvims  spir- 
it u.il  viwiiy.  i:vi-iy  p.ig"'  almost 
will  t"iiini.-li  admiiabk-iiuotaitons. 
—  The  Oai.icni. 

The  Indwelling  Christ. 

Sca^rul  f.!:n,/i.      I2nu),  dotlv,  75  ce"^^. 

This  is  a  strong  and  wliolesomt-  pn-cnta- 
ti„n  of  the  L-rc-at  Ci.ristian  truth  whici.  is  s.g- 
m-<tc.l  in  the  title.  The  style  is  simi'lf  an.l 
.k.r,  the  tone  is  spiritual.  One  who  r,-a>ls 
these  ,.ag.-s  thoughtfully  cannot  but  tin.l  m 
them  .p.ickening  and  inspiration.— //><•  ^''''/'-V 
Sci'"l  Time. 

LInto  The  Uttermost. 

A  Stulv  ..f  the  Redemp''ve   Possibilities  ot  the 
Present  L:te.      i  rmo,  ^.oth,  ?!  .00. 

A  volu'-ne  of  decided  oriiTinality  and  nienf, 
the  stvle  perspicuous  and  forcible;  the  lUu  tra- 
tions  interevting,  and  the  th.iugbt  in  t be  n,a,n 
is  sound,  and  always  stimulating.  B:/:'"„ir,a 
Siicrii. 

VlEMlNG    H.     Rl.vni.    CoMVANV, 
I'l  )-i  r  iiKRS 


After     Pentecost,     What  ? 


A  Discussion  of  the  Doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  its 

Relation  to  Modern  Christological 

Thought 


By 


James  M.  Campbell 

Author  of  "Unto  the  Uttermost"  and  "The  Indwelling 

Christ" 


Fleming  H.  Revel  1  Company 
New  York  Toronto  Chicago 


MDCCCXCVII 


Copyright  1897,  by  Fleming  H.  Rcvxll  Company. 


if)  ;:>>  \  >  ^. 


"Nor  bound,  nor  clime,  nor  creed  thou  know'st, 

Wide  as  our  need  thy  favors  fall, 
The  white  wings  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
Stoop,  seen  or  unseen,  o'er  the  heads  of  all." 

— Whittier. 


PREFACE. 

In    the   following    pa^jes— which   contain    the 
substance  of  a  course  of  lectures  -ixen  l.efore  the 
Summer  School  of   the    University  of   Chicago, 
an<l  the  Mucatawa    I'ark  Assembly,  Michigan- 
an  attempt  is  nuule  to  bring  the    doctrine  of  the 
Holy    Spirit    int..    harmony    with    the    enlarged 
Christological  thought  of  the  present  ih'V.      1  he 
place  wliich  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit  occu- 
pies in  the   seh-revelation  of  (iod    to  num   is  just 
beginning  to  b.  appreciated.      U  is  not  too   much 
to  say  thai  no  other  doctrine  within  the  circle  of 
evangelical  truth   has   suffered   a   more   complete 
eclipse.      Every  age   has    its    supreme    problem. 
With  the  early  church  the  supreme  problem  was 
the  doctrine  of  the  Sonship  of  Christ  in  its  re- 
lation to  the  (iodhead;  with  the  church  of  to-day 
the  supreme  problem  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  its  relation  to  the  economy   of  redemp- 
tion;  and  in  so  far  as  this   problem   is  kept  in  the 
forefront   will   tlie  church  be   in   the  line  of   the 
divine  purpose  in  the  present  day  development  of 

truth. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  "  in  the  earliest  Christian 
literature-  that  is,  in  the  Apostolic  Fathers— the 

5 


Treface. 


allusions  to  the  Holy  Spirit  are  all  in  the  interest 
of  spiritual  religion."*  Metaphysics  had  not  yet 
come  in  to  neutralize  faith.  Not  until  the  power- 
ful inllueiue  of  Augustine  had  forceil  tiie  idea  of 
tile  divine  immanence  to  yield  to  the  idea  of  the 
divine  transcendence  was  the  deity  of  the  Holy 
.Spirit  assailed, or  His  jn-csence  in  the  Christian, as 
the  principle  of  spiritual  life,  questioned.  Before 
the  great  schism  which  divided  the  church  into 
East  and  West, the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
looked  upon  from  a  practical  view-point.  In  the 
haptismal  fornuda  the  Holy  Spirit  was  acknowl- 
edged as  one  with  the  Father,  hut  no  altini})t  was 
made  to  construct  a  theory  of  His  person  and  work 
out  of  the  scanty  material  furnished  by  the  imex- 
plaincd  facts  of  Scripture.  It  was  considered 
suilicicnt  to  appeal  to  Christian  consciousness  in 
evidence  of  His  continual  presence,  and  to  regen- 


erated   lives    in    evidence   of   His  divine 


po 


vver. 


"The  Fathers  of  the  church,"  says  Canon  Gore, 
"appealed  to  experience  i)ecauhe  Christianity,  as 
they  knew,  is  essentially  not  a  past  event,  but  a 
present  life;  a  life  first  manifested  in  Ciirist,  and 
llien  perpetuated  in  His  church."* 

To  tile  practical  ground   u))on   which  it  rested 
in  the  early,  undivided  church,  must  the  doctrine 

*"']'he  Doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  p.  256— George  Smeaton,  D.D. 
*"Lux  Mtntdi,^'  p.  264. 


Preface. 


of  the  Holy  .Spirit  be  brought  back  if  its  true  sig- 
nificance would  be  appreciated.  Xol  as  a  fiuestion 
of  polemics,  but  as  a  question  of  experience;  not 
as  a  (juestion  of  dogma,  but  as  a  cpiestion  of  life 
must  it  be  reexamined  l)y  tlie  church  of  to-day  ;and 
reexamined,  moreover,  in  all  that  divine  simplic- 
ity of  heart  and  mind  which  l)elongs  to  "liabes," 
to  wiiom  the  Fatlier  is  pleased  to  make  known  the 
things  which  are  hidden  from  "the  wise  and  the 
understanding." 


TAHLH  OF  CON  riiNTS. 


CHAP.  »'AGE 

I,  Introductory.    The    :  gnifi'  -nck  of   I  iiN- 

TECOST li 

II.    A  SpiKiTUAL  Christ i6 

III.  A  Spiritual  Gou 31 

IV.  Spiritual  Worship 47 

V.  A  Spiritual  Apprehension  of  Truth.   .        .    02 

VI.  An  Influx  ok  Spipitual  Life.    ...        80 

VII.  The  Spiritual  Man 95 

VIII.     Spiritual  Holiness 108 

IX.     Spiritual  Authority 122 

X.  The  Distribution  of  Spiritual  Gifts.      .       137 

XI.     Spiritual  Operations 153 

XII.  The  Impart ation  of  Spiritual  Power.      .      210 

XIII.  The  Production  of  Spiritual  Works.  .        .  228 

XIV.  The  Formation  of  a  Spiritual  Society.  .      246 
XV.  The  Inauguration  of  Spiritual  Movements.  263 

XVI.  The  Establishment  of  a  Spiritual  Kingdom.  281 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  SIGNIFICANCK  OV   I'ENTECOST.     INTRO- 
DUCrOKY. 

"There  are  many  who  are  still  waiting,  praying  and 
longing  for  the  coming  of  the  Spirit;  not  knowing  tha'  the 
Spirit  came  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  with  a  mighty 
rushing  wind  and  tongues  of  flame;  that  He  has  never  left 
the  church  ;  that  there  is  therefore  no  reason   for   Him  to 


come  again. 


>) 


R.  W.  Dale. 


"  Back  to  Pentecost"  is  a  cry  which  it  ill  befits 
the  church  of  to-day  to  raise.  Instearl  of  going 
l)ack  to  Pentecost,  would  it  not  be  wiser  and  bet- 
tor  for  the  church  to  bring  Pentecost  into  the 
present?  Christianity  is  something  more  than  a 
history;  it  is  a  life--a  life  that  is  in  a  process  of 
endless  development.  Its  face  is  not  set  towards 
the  past,  but  towards  the  future;  it  does  not  look 
behind  on  a  faint  and  fading  sunset,  but  forward 
upon  a  glowing  and  growing  sunrise. 

Viewed  as  a  historic  event, Pentecost  is  a  thing 
(jf  the  past.  It  can  never  come  back  again.  Its  rush- 
ing mighty  wind,  its  miraculous  gifts  are  gone. 
They  belonged  to  an  initial  condition  of  things 
that  required  outward  signs  and  creilentials. 
Christianity  is  now  an  established  fact,  and  has 
no  need  of  special  attestation.  It  is  its  own  cre- 
dential.     Ihit  while  Pentecost  as  a  historic  fact  is 

II 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


past,  all  that  was  spiritual  and  essential  in  it  re- 
mains. The  heavens  that  then  were  opened  are 
kept  open, that  the  Spirit  may  eontinually  descend 
upon  waiting  hearts,  and  that  the  church  of  to- 
day may  enjoy  a  perpetual  Tentecost. 

"The  outward  hath  gone,  but  in  glory  and  power 
The  Spirit  surviveth  the  things  of  an  hour; 
Unchanged,  undecaying,  its  Penticost  flame 
On  the  heart's  secret  altar  is  burning  the  same." 

Pentecost  was  not  an  isolated  and  unrelated 
event.  It  was  not  somethin<^  separate  a;ul  apart 
from  all  that  went  before.  It  was  the  cidminatin<^ 
act  in  an  teonial  process  of  redemptive  activity. 
It  was  the  final  step  in  the  descent  of  the  divine 
into  the  human.  It  marked  an  epoch  in  the  a<^es, 
the  significance  of  which  we  are  just  beginning 
to  appreciate.  It  changed  the  world's  history; 
it  lifted  the  world  heavenward,  penetrated  it  with 
the  life  of  God,  and  hid  within  its  heart  a  power 
which  contains  the  pt)tency  and  promise  of  its 
complete  redemption.  The  world  cjui  never  go 
hack  to  where  it  was  before  the  Spirit  came.  A 
vantage  ground  has  been  gained  which  can  ne\er 
be  lost.  The  world  is  coming  to  its  best.  Under 
the  favoring  skies  of  spiritual  pri\  ilcgeand  power 
its  richest  vintage  is  ripening.  The  dispensation 
now  running  its  glorious  course  is  the  harvest 
time  of  all  the  ages. 

12 


The  Sitrnific.'ince  of  Pentecost. 


The  truth  for  which  Pentecost  stands  reciuires 
to  be  specially  emphasized  in  the  present  day  to 
counteract  the  tendency  towards  materialism  in 
philosophy  and  life;  and  also  to  coimteract  the 
tendency  towards  fcn'inalism  in  reliijion.  On  the 
one  hand  we  have  a  sciem.e  which  denies  the  ex- 
istence of  spiritual  af^encies  and  siiuls  (iod  out  of 
His  wcndd,  combined  witii  a  worklly  spirit  which 
takes  account  of  the  seen  and  taii,;;ible  oidy,  and 
i;;n()res  the  spiritual  in  life;  and  on  the  other  hand 
we  have  a  religion  which  shows  a  decided  ten- 
dency to  decorous  formality  in  worship,  and  to 
exclusive  absorption  in  mere  outward  activities 
and  in  material  and  humanitarian  interests,  to  the 
ne<4lect()f  the  cultivationof  inward  life, from  w  hich 
all  the  streams  of  relij^ious  activity  are  fed.  How 
neeilful,  therefore,  it  is  toseethatthe  Holy  vSpirit 
is  iiere  to  oppose  and  to  overcome  this  downward 
drift  I  The  ultimate  suprem;u;y  of  the  spiritual 
can  be  hopefully  looked  for,  bec;uise  He  is  ade- 
quate to  the  task  which  He  has  undertaken  of  lift- 
ing a   submerged    world   out  of   tlie  slime-pit    of 


materialism  into  which  it  has  fallen,  anil  of  kee 


P- 


ing  open  within  the  church  the  springs  of  spirit- 
ual life  which  are  in  constant  danger  of  being 
choked  up  with  things  good  in  tliemselves.  The 
advent  of  the  .Spirit  means  that  there  is  now 
present  in  the  world  a  di\  ine  power  working  for 

13 


After  Pc  ntecost,  What  ? 


spiritual  results,  delivering  souls  from  the  thruU- 
dom  of  the  sensuous,  scattering  the  fog-banks 
which  shut  spiritual  realities  from  view,  regener- 
ating human  nature,  transforming  human  society, 
and  making  all  things  new  by  bringing  in  the 
reign  of  the  spiritual. 

The  two  pivotal  events  in  historical  Christian- 
ity are  the  coming  of  Christ  in  tlie  flesh,  and 
the  coming  of  the  »Spirit;  the  one  ])eing  the  be- 
ginning of  the  special  manifestation  of  God  to 
man,  the  other  the  means  of  its  continuance  and 
completion.  By  the  coming  of  the  Spirit  the  end 
of  the  coming  of  Christ  is  realized.  "Whatever 
increase  Christ's  kingdom  has  received  from  the 
beginning  down  to  these  times,  it  has  received 
through  the  power  of  the  Conjforter."*  And 
whatever  increase  it  is  to  receive  in  the  future 
must  come  from  the  same  source.  'J'o  Him  Chris- 
tianity owes  its  vitality  and  \ictorious  power. 
Through  the  manifestetl  life  of  Christ  He  is  work- 
ing unremittingly  for  salvation.  Itnmanent  in\ 
the  world,  and  in  the  soul  of  man,  as  a  vitalizing 
and  renovating  power.  He  is  carr)  ing  on  ua  ..gc- 
long  work  of  redemption,  whicli  is  brought  to 
its  consummation  by  all  tlesh  being  made  the 
dwelling-place  of  God. 

Christians  of  to-day  require  to  be  reminded  that 

♦"The  Mission  of  the  Comforter. "  —  Hare,  p.  181. 

14 


The  Significance  of  Pentecost. 


thrall- 
-banks 
.>gcncr- 
iOciety, 

in   the 

ristian- 
sh,  ami 
the   be- 
G()(l    to 
ice   and 
llie  ciul 
hatever 
roni  the 
eceived 
*     And 
■    future 
1  Chris- 
power, 
is  work- 
ment   in> 
ilah/.ini^ 

lUght    to 
lade    the 


they  have  been  born  after  Pentecost.  They  forget 
that  the  new  efflux  of  the  ellhient  hfe  of  God,  by 
which  the  kingdom  of  the  .Spirit  was  to  be  ush- 
ered in,  has  taken  place.  They  often  take  an 
antc-pentecostal  look  upon  the  world  ;  they  occupy 
an  ante-pentecostal  plane  of  privilege;  they  settle 
down  to  an  ante-pentecostal  level  of  living.  They 
live  back  in  the  old  dispensation  in  which  the 
disciples  lived  before  "  the  great  day  of  the  Lord," 
when  the  glory  of  heaven  burst  like  a  new  sun 
upon  the  earth.  So  far  as  any  special  elevation  of 
vision  or  enrichment  of  experience  is  concerned, 
Tentecost  might  never  have  happened.  Upon 
modern  Christians  there  lies  no  more  pressing 
duty  than  the  study  of  those  (piestions  of  vital 
interest  which  gather  around  this  epochal  event; 
such  (luestions,  for  example,  as,  Wiiat  does  Pente- 
cost mean  with  regard  to  the  fulHUment  of  God's 
purpose?  What  place  docs  it  occupy  in  the  proc- 
ess of  redemptive  development?  What  difference 
has  it  made  to  the  world  thai  it  has  come? 
What  difference  does  it  make  to  us  that  we  are 
living  after  it  rather  than  before  it?  After  Pente- 
cost—what? 


uled  that 


IS 


CHAPTER  II. 


'$ 


A  SI'IUrrUAL  CHRIST. 

'•It  is  the  historical  task  of  Christianity  to  assume  with 
every  succeeding  age  a  fresli  metamori)hosis,  and  to  be  for- 
ever spiritualizing  more  and  more  her  understanding  of  the 
Christ  and  of  salvation." 

Amiel's  Journal, 

TiiK  advent  of  the  Spirit  was  the  spiritual  ad- 
vent of  Christ-  the  coining  of  Christ  to  dwell 
in  the  hearts  of  His  people  by  His  Spirit,  whom 
He  communicates.  It  was  not  "  Ciirist  transfig 
ured  into  spirit,"  as  Tholuck  puts  it,  hut  Christ 
in  another  form  returning  to  His  own — Christ 
continued  to  date.  No  more  serious  mistake 
could  be  made  than  to  regard  the  Holy  Spirit  as 
supplying  the  lack  of  an  absent  Christ.  He  is 
rather  the  "bodiless  divinity,"  by  whom  Christ, 
no  longer  witii  us  in  the  Hesh,  is  made  present 
and  omnipresent. 

When  Christ  was  about  to  leave  His  disciples 
He  distinctly  promised  that  He  would  come  to 
them  again.  His  second  coming,  which  was  to 
be  personal  and  permanent,  was  to  take  place 
within  a  brief  period.  "Yet  a  little  while,  and 
He  that  shall  come,  will  come,  and  will  not  tarry." 
In  the  plainest  possible  words  Jesus  taught  that 
the  consummation  looked  for   might  be  expected 

i6 


s 

an 
II: 
lis 
(Ic 
t'\-( 
lin 
pui 

COtl 

kit 


A  Spiritual  Christ. 


jme  with 
;o  be  for- 
ng  of  the 

NAL. 

tual  ad- 
:)  dwell 
,  whom 
ransfig- 

Christ 
—Christ 
mistake 
Ipirit  as 
He  is 
I  Christ, 

present 

disciples 
come  to 
1  was  to 
ke  place 
hilc,  and 
ot tarry." 
ight  that 
expected 


within  the  life-time  of  many  who  were  then  living 
on  the  earth.  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  there  he 
some  of  them  that  stand  here  that  shall  in  no  wise 
taste  of  death  till  they  see  the  Son  of  Man  coming 
in  Ilis  kingdom."  Vain  is  every  effort  to  hreak 
the  force  of  these  words  hy  making  them   palter 

^        with  us  in  a  ilouhle  sense  ;  "  keeping  their  promise 

■I  to  the  ear  while  hreaking  it  to  the  heart."  They 
can  hear  hut  one   meaning,  and   that  meaning  he 

^      that  runs  may  read. 

S  Did  Christ  keep  His  promise?      Itisnoanswer 

f^  to  say  that  the  coming  of  Christ  is  a  constantly 
.  recurring  event — that  He  is  always  coming  ;  still 
less  is  it  an  answer  to  say  that  His  promise  was 
fulfilled  in  His  coming  at  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem.  The  destruction  of  Jerusalem  was 
not  the  second  advent,  hut  was  merelv  its  outward 
sign.  The  ailvent  itself  was  spiritual.  In  the 
Spirit  Christ  returned  that  through  His  presence 
and  power  His  kingly  rule  might  beset  up  and 
Ilis  dominion  over  the  spirit  of  man  estab- 
lished. His  return  in  the  Spirit  constitutes  the 
decisive  event  in  His  work  of  redemption,  the 
event  to  which  His  advent  in  the  tlcsh  was  pre- 
liminary and  preparatory,  the  event  hy  which  the 
purpose  of  His  earthly  mission  was  to  find  its  ac- 
complishment. The  final  apocalypse  of  His 
kingly  glory  at  the  end  of  this  world-age,  will  be 

17 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

simply  Mie  unvcilinj;  of  ^lory  of  the  hidden  kiiifjj, 
who  is  now  enthroned  in  the  seat  of  power. 
This  visiMe  manifestation  of  His  presence  when 
He  Cometh  in  the  clonds  of  heaven,  and  when 
every  eye  shall  see  Him,  will  not  he  the  inanj^n- 
ration,l)nt  the  cnlmination  of  His  kin<;dom  ;  it  will 
be  that  Unal  epiphany  for  which  we  lonji;ingly 
look  when  we  ntter  the  prayer,  "Come,  Lord 
Jesus, come  ([uickly."*  I»ut  the  (piestion  of  prime 
importance,  the  (pieslion  which  most  deeply  con- 
cerns us  at  present,  the  cpiestion  arouiul  which 
center  our  most  vital  interests,  the  {piestion  upon 
which  hangs  the  fuKillment  of  our  dearest  hopes, 
is,  Has  Christ  really  come  back?  Is  He  really 
here?  Amid  the  toilsome  duties  and  abounding 
trials  of  the  present  life  may  we  enjoy  the  sweet 
consciousness  of  His  abiding  and  inspiring  pres- 
ence? Or  has  He  retired  to  some  distant  heaven, 
dooming  us  to  wander  on  as  orphans  through  a 
forlorn  and  friendless  world?  In  a  wonl,  is  His 
second,  His  spiritual  advent,  a  blessed  hope  or  a 
glorious  fact?  Is  it  something  for  which  we  are 
yet  to  watch  and  wait,  or  is   it   a   present    reality 


*Th(;  diFtinrtion  which  Scripture  makes  between  t\\e ^araMsiit,"0\e 
presence,"  and  lUe  ti/>"iii'!i/>s/s,''the  rp%'elation"  of  thepresence,  has 
not  always  been  carefully  observed.  Ilie  />iir-niisia  is  spiritual  and 
invisible,  {\\e  n/'oka  tipsis  is  outward  and  visible.  The  finremia  is  an 
experience,  the  n/'okaluf'sis  is  a  hope.  We  rejoice  in  the  presence 
of  the  Lord  (iNfatt.  28;  20),  we  wait  in  hope  for  "the  revelation  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  from  heaven"  (2  Thess.  1:  7;  i  Peter  i:  13).  For  a 
fuller  discussion  of  this  subject  see  Chapter  XIL  of  author's  "In- 
dwelling Christ-" 

18 


■I 


k 

a  I 

n 

ti 

CO 


A  Spiritual  Christ. 


in  the  experience  of  which  we  are  continually   to 
rejoice? 

At  the  hour  of  partiiiLj  Jesus  had  said,  "  Now 
ye  have  sorrow,  hut  1  will  see  you  a<;ain,  and 
your  heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your  joy  no  man 
taketh  from  you."  For  the  pang  of  parti njj  there 
was  to  be  an  overpayment  of  delight  when  in  the 
coming  of  the  Spirit  the  al)sent  Lord  was  to  re- 
turn, lie  would  see  His  discijiles  again,  al- 
though they  would  not  see  llim.  His  unseen 
presence  would  be  known  as  the  presence  of  a 
concealed  magnet  is  known  by  the  steel  which 
it  attracts  to  itself ;  or  as  the  presence  of  the  ver- 
nal sun  is  known  by  the  underground  roots  that 
feel  the  thrill  of  his  life-giving  touch.  In  His 
presence,  unseen  but  not  uiifelt,  there  would  be 
fullness  of  joy;  joy  which  no  man  could  take 
away,  unless  he  took  away  the  living,  loving, 
personal  Christ,  of  whose  presence  that  joy  was 
the  eOluence.  Into  participation  of  that  abiding 
joy  which  comes  from  the  abiding  presence  of 
the  Lord  all  Christians  are  called.  Christ  has 
kept  His  tryst ;  He  h;is  come  again  as  He  said, 
and  He  has  come  to  stav.  His  promise  to  be  with 
His  disciples  is  fullilled  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  By 
the  Holy  .Spirit  His  presence  is  made  real  and 
continual.  "Joy  to  the  world,  the  Lord  is  come  !" 
— come  to  live  in  the  heart  of   the  believer,  come 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


to  fill  the  world  with  His  life.  In  His  gracious 
presence  all  who  have  dwelt  in  the  chilling  dark- 
ness of  hope  deferred  may  forever  sun  their 
souls. 

In  the  return  of  Christ  in  the  Spirit  is  found 
the  explanation  of  His  departure  from  earth  and 
His  ascension  to  heaven.  We  can  sympathize 
with  the  perplexity  of  the  Indian  chief  who, 
when  present  at  a  religious  gathering, asked,  "  Did 
you  ever  see  the  Great  Spirit  or  His  Son?  You 
said  that  His  Son  came  down  from  heaven,  and 
dwelt  among  the  white  men,  and  that  He  went  up 
again.  What  diil  He  go  up  for.-*  Red  Cloud  wants 
to  find  out."  Many  besides  "  Red  Cloud"  seem  not 
to  have  found  out  the  reason  why  Christ  tore 
Himself  away  from  His  disciples,  and  went  up 
to  His  native  heaven.  The  only  satisfactory 
answer  that  can  be  given  is  that  He  went  up  that 
He  might  come  down  again;  He  went  up  in  one 
form  that  He  might  come  down  in  another  and 
belter  form;  He  ascended  out  of  the  weakness 
of  the  fiesh  that  He  might  descend  in  the  power 
of  the  Spirit;  He  went  away  that  He  might, 
on  His  return,  get  nearer  to  His  people  than  He 
had  ever  been  before.  Scripture  always  traces 
an  intimate  connection  between  His  departure 
and  ascension  and  the  descent  of  the  Spirit.  On 
the  day  of    Pentecost   Peter  exclaimed,  "  Being 

20 


A  Spiritual  Christ. 


exalted,  lie  hath  shed  forth  this  which  ye  now 
see  and  hear."  As  the  Roman  emperors  caused 
perfume  to  be  rained  down  upon  the  people 
throu^'h  the  silken  awnin<<  of  the  amphitheater, 
the  ascended  Christ  hath  shed  forth  the  Holy 
Spirit  upon  the  worlil  like  a  shower  of  fraj^rant 
rain.  And  blessed  be  God, we  are  now  under  tiie 
shower ! 

Throuj^h  the  descent  of  Christ  by  the  Spirit 
and  in  the  Spirit,  the  approach  of  God  to  man  is 
consummated.  Historic  Christianity  presents  a 
proj^ressive  series  of  movements  on  the  part  of 
God  towards  man.  Of  these  divine  movements 
manward  the  comin<^  of  Christ  in  the  Spirit  is 
the  last  and  closest.  God  came  close  to  man  in 
the  manifestation  of  Christ  in  the  llesh,  lie  comes 
still  closer  in  the  manifestation  of  Ciirist  in  the 
Spirit.     Amon<^  men  spirit  contact  is  the  closest; 

and  in'jjfr'f  fn  n^;)|^  (ffwl  rannut  fr^ot  t\y.M\  vyhon 
He  cornea  into  vital  tnnrh  with  his  spirit,  in  the 
Spirit  of  His  Soiit.  The  procession  of  the  Spirit 
from  the  Father  and  from  the  Son  represents  the 
final  outgoing  of  that  eternal  love  which  is  the 
central  element  in  the  divine  nature,  the  primal 
source  of  every  movement  that  has  taken  place  in 
the  redemption  of  man.  In  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  that  eternal  love  is  expressed  in- 
wardly, which    in  the  Cross    is    expressed   out- 

21 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


vvardly.  In  all  the  activities  of  the  Spirit  within 
the  heart  of  man,  the  seekinjj;  and  saving  love  of 
Clirist  is  made  manifest.  Throuj^h  tlie  Spirit  — 
to  whom  every  secret  avenue  of  appntaeh  is  open 
— Christ  presses  near  to  man;  iiKuinj^  upon  his 
conscience  that  He  may  woo  him  from  ways  of 
evil  to  a  hetter  life,  lie  seeks  even  where  lie  is 
not  souj^ht.  \\'hat  is  the  <;reat  truth  enshrined 
in  the  doctrine  of  the  IIolv  Spirit,  if  not  this: 
Christ  working  on  in:  from  within;  Christ 
knocking  at  the  inmost  i.  ir  of  the  iiuman  spirit; 
Christ  engaging  in  a  search  after  man,  a  search 
which  is  never  al)andoned  until  in  every  soul  is 
awakened  a  consciousness  of  His  presence,  and 
to  every  soul  is  brought  the  proffer  of  His  elK- 
cacious  help? 

This    interior    vvnrk    of    tlie H^}]y    Spjr't    hy 

wiljch  theoutvvard  revelatioiij^f  Christ  in  tlw 
Word  becomes  an  inward  revelation  of  Christ  in 
the  lieiirt;  this  personal  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
without  which  all  that  went  before  in  the  work 
of  Christ  would  be  incomplete  and  ineffective, 
finds  a  fitting  illustration  in  the  old  romantic 
legend  concerning  Bloiulel,  the  French  minstrel. 
Blondeljit  is  said,  accompanied  Richard  the  I^ion- 
Heart,    King     of    England,    to     Palestine.     On 


mpris- 


their  way  home  Richard  was  seized   and  i 
oned  by  Leopold,  duke  of  Austria.     The  faithful 

22 


^ 


M 


A  Spiritual  Christ. 

minstrel  resolved  to  fiiui  the  place  in  wliich  his 
royal  master  was  coiilined.  I''or  years  he  wan- 
dered throuj^h  ICiirope  in  dis;;iiise;  and  at  len<;th 
coming  to  an  ivy-clad  caslle  in  Austria,  as  he 
played  upon  his  harp  and  saii}^  before  the  chin{^eon 
bars,  a  well  known  voice  tocjk  up  the  sonj^  and 
carried  it  to  the  end.  The  kinj^  was  discovered, 
and  lilondel,  returniu}^  with  all  speed  to  Enj^land, 
secured  from  his  subjects  the  means  of  his  ransom. 
Tjius  the  spirit  of  man,  immured  in  the  prison- 
house  of  sense,  hears  faint  notes  of  a  heavenly 
voice  in  which  is  expresseil  the  passionate  long- 
ing of  a  breaking  heart  to  find  the  lost  object  of 
its  love;  echoes  of  a  better  life  are  waked  up; 
the  remembrance  of  a  former  kingly  state  is  re- 
called; the  unextinguished  desire  for  the  better 
things  of  the  kingdom  is  fanned  to  fervent  heat; 
and  the  soul,  responding  promptly  and  eagerly  to 
the  divine  voice,  is  drawn  out  of  its  captivity  into 
the  glorious  light  and  liberty  of  the  children  of 
God. 

The  coming  of  Christ  in  the  Spirit  was  for  the 
purpose  of  hnding  man,  and  establishing  spiritual 
cmmunication  with  him.  Through  the  Spirit 
spiritual  commerce  is  carried  on  lictween  Christ 
and  man ;  througrh  the  Spirit  spiritual   mcssaires 


spi 


ui- 


are  sent  from  Chri'  i  to  man.     The  main   advi 
tage  accruing  from  the  departure  of  Christ    con- 

23 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


M 


sists  in  the  spiritual  manifestation  of  Himself 
which  Ilis  departure  made  possible.  While  He 
was  with  His  disciples  tiiey  were  like  weak  chil- 
dren clinj^ing  to  the  hand  of  a  father;  wiien  He, 
was  taken  away  they  learned  to  walk  alone.  The 
blossom  dro})ped  off  tiiat  the  fruit  mij^ht  appear; 
the  earthly  Christ  faded  from  si<^ht  that  the  spirit- 
ual Christ  mi<(ht  be  revealed;  the  visible  hand 
was  withdrawn  that  the  unseen  hand  mij^ht  hence- 
forth <^uide  and  sustain  in  all  life's  dark  and  ililli- 
cult  ways. 

Speakinjij  of  the  changed  view  of  Christ  which 
the  cominj^  of  the  Spirit  has  effected,  Paul  says, 
"We  henceforth  know  no  man  after  the  ilesh ; 
even  thouj^h  we  have  known  Christ  after  the 
flesh,  yet  now  we  know  Him  so  no  more."  (2 
Cor,  V.  16.)  Humanity  has  become  spiritualized. 
Men  are  not  known  after  the  flesih-standard,  but 
after  the  stamlard  of  spiritual  wortii.  And,  what 
is  of  more  concern  in  the  present  discussion, 
Christ  is  spiritualized.  All  worldly  or  fleshly 
ideas  concerninj^  Ilim  and  His  kingdom  are  put 
forever  away.  Wiiether  or  not  Paul  knew  Christ 
/;/  the  lUsh,  we  need  not  stop  to  incpiire;  what 
he  asserts  is  thai  one  time  he  knew  Him  aficr 
the  flesh.  A  contrast  is  drawn  between  then  and 
now.  Then  he  knew  Him  as  a  Jew,  now  he  knew 
Him  as  the  Jew's  Messiah  ;  then    he   knew  Him 

24 


A  Spiritual  Ciirist. 

as  a  crucified  criminal,  now  he  knew  llim  as  a 
crucified  Savior;  then  he  knew  Ilim  as  the  Son 
of  Mary,  now  he  knew  Iliin  as  the  Son  of  God; 
then  he  knew  Him  as 

"A  silent  man  before  his  foes, 
A  weary  mar  ..nd  full  of  woes," 

now  he  knew  Ilim  a-,  the  Kin<^  of  Glory  to  whom 
the  everlasting  gates  had  opened,  and  by  whose 
return  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit  the  kingdom  of 
righteousness  was  to  be  established  on  the  earth. 
This  deeper  view  of  Christ  furnishes  us  with 
an  answer  to  the  question.  What  kind  of  a  Christ 
have  we  now?  The  Christ  of  to-dav,  the  Christ 
who  is  now  present  in  the  world,  is  a  spiritual 
Christ.  With  the  outward  eye  we  cannot  behold 
linn.  We  do  not  even  know  how  He  looked 
when  in  the  flesh,  for  no  portrait  of  his  outward 
appearance  has  been  preserved.  We  know  Him 
spiritually.  W'e  follow  Him,  walking  by  faith 
and  not  by  sight.  He  speaks  to  our  spiritual 
nature,  aiul  not  to  our  senses.  He  is  the  Christ 
of  the  conscience,  of  the  reason,  and  of  the  heart. 
After  a  spiritual  manner  the  Holy  Spirit  is  re- 
vealin;^  Him  to  us, giving  a  spiritual  interpretation 
of  His  words  anil  works,  making  known  the 
spiritual  meaning  of  the  external  facts  of  His  life, 
and  superseding  all  tliat  was  outward  and  tempo- 
rary in  His  self-manifestation  in  the  ilesh  by  a  rev- 

25 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


•^-s 


elation  of  the  cssLMitial  glory  of  His  divine  nature. 
The  veil  has  ])een  taken  away  that  "  tlie  hrightness 
of  the  Father's  <;lory"  may  he  seen  shining  in 
His  face;  the  last  limitation  of  His  earth-life  has 
been  removed  that  He  may  fmd  free  access  to  the 
S2)irit  of  man;  the  last  harrier  of  His  earthly  en- 
vironment has  been  l)rt)ken  down  that  His  atoning 
love  may  have  free  course  to  every  heart.  Those 
who  know  Christ  as  He  is,  know  Him  as  the 
Christ  who  is  laying  His  healing  hand  upon 
stricken  souls;  the  Christ  who  is  feeding  hungry- 
hearts  with  the  bread  of  His  truth  and  love;  tiie 
Christ  who  is  in  the  world  as  its  immanent  life; 
the  Christ  who  is  in  the  believer  as  a  well  of  water 
springing  up  into  everlasting  life;  the  Christ 
who  is  in  the  church  continually  supplying  it  with 
oninitic  energy  by  which  miracles  of  saving  power 
may  be  wrought.* 

In  the  revelation  of  the  spiritual  Christ  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  fuHilled  the  pi  nnise,  "He  shall 
glorify  Me;  for  He  shall  take  of  Mine  and  shall 
declare  it  unto  you."  "As  the  Son  glorifies  the 
Father,  the  Holy  Spirit  glorifies  the    Son,"  says 

*The  Kitschlian  school  of  tlicology,  in  its  l.iuilablc  desire  to  rest  the 
Chri'.ti.in's  expci  iiMicc  of  Cliiist  iipnii  a  liistmic  fomidatinn,  has 
strangely  ignored  the  fat'  basis  rcKaidinw  the  IukIut  ril.uions  of 
Clirist,  \vlii<li  \\\  found  in  C'lristian  cxpi  riirirc  its<lf.  It  has  buin 
conii'iit  to  know  Christ  as  a  hi-.iorii'  in. in  wlm  i^rispcd  and  revealed 
tlie  piir|>ostMif  Ciod,  but  it  lias  lo^:l  si^hi  of  Mis  divine  Klory  as  made 
known  by  the  Spirit  in  the  inmost  i.i'inK  of  the  believer.  And  in  ig- 
'-.,..  noring  what  in  Christ  transcen<ls  hisioiical  limits  it  has  failed  to  take 
"^  Him  at  his  full  worth. 

*^.  26 


i 


^1 

> 

1 


A  Spiritual  Christ. 


says 


Bcngcl.  Christ  is  glorified  when  by  the  Spirit 
He  is  spiritually  revealed.  The  external  facts 
of  His  life  may  he  known,  where  Christ  Himself 
— the  real  Christ— has  not  been  discovered.  This 
is  implied  in  the  declaration,  "No  one  can  say 
that  Jesus  is  Christ,  hut  hy  the  Holy  vSpirit." 
Apart  from  the  inward  illumination  of  the  Holy 
S[)irit  He  may  he  known  in  His  historical  mani- 
festation as  a  son  of  man,  hut  not  in  His  essential 
divinity  as  the  Son  of  God.  The  Holy  Spirit 
alone  can  make  Him  known  to  the  spiritual  con- 
sciousness as  the  spiritual  Christ.  And  only  the 
Holy  Spirit  can  reveal  the  spiritual  import  of  His 
atoning  sacrifice.  "  liy  one  offering  He  hath 
perfected  them  that  are  sanctifiecl.  Whereof  also 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  a  witness  to  us."  (Heh.  x.  14.) 
TIu'  purpose  for  which  the  Holy  Spirit  came 
down  from  heaven  was  not  merely  to  witness  to 
the  fact  of  the  atonement ;  hut  to  take  the  "  things 
of  Christ"  and  show  them  unto  us  in  all  the  full- 
ness of  their  spiritual  significance.  This  He  is 
now  doiug.  The  measureless  meaning  of  the 
things  concerning  Christ  which  lies  concealed 
from  mortal  eyes,  He  is  increasingly  revealing.  / 
He  is  giving  to  the  world  larger  and  truer  con-^ 
ceptions  of  Christ,  than  it  ever  had  before;  He  / 
is  giving  deeper  and  ever  deeper  views  of  the 
fai.:s  of  His  earthly  life;    thus  winning  for  Him 


After  Pentecost,  Whati 


^^•^ 


a  wider  and  loftier  homage,  and  inspirinff  towards 
Him  reverential  love  out  of  which  the  nohlest 
hymns  of  adoration  and  praise  are  born.  It  is 
the  spiritual  Christ  that  He  holds  up  as  the  true 
object  of  worship;  and  not  the  least  service  that 
He  renders  is  that  of  enabling;  us  to  look  with 
eagle  eyes  at  His  dazzling  brightness.  We  are 
said  to  Vie  "strengthened  with  power  through  the 
Spirit  of  the  Father  in  the  inward  man;  that 
Christ  may  dwell  in  our  hearts  by  faith,  to  the 
C7id  thai  we,  being  rooted  and  grounded  in  love, 
may  be  strong  to  apprehend  with  all  the  saints 
what  is  the  breadth  and  length  and  height  and 
depth, and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ  which  pass- 
eth  knowledge,  that  we  may  he  filled  with  all  the 
fullness  of  God."  (Eph.  iii.  16-19.)  From  this 
deeper  apprehension  of  Christ  through  the  power 
of  the  Spirit  comes  the  reflection  of  His  glory, 
and  from  the  reflection  of  His  glory  comes  spirit- 
ual transformation.  "We  all,  with  unveiled 
face  reflecting  as  a  mirror  the  glory  of  the 
Lord,  are  transformed  into  the  same  image  from 
glory  to  glory,  even  as  from  the  Lord  the  Spirit." 
(2  Cor.  iii.  iS.) 

This  higher   revelation   of   Christ,  which    theji 
Spirit  is  now  giving,  and  which  marks  progress 
from  the  physical  to  the  spiritual,  from  the  visible  I 
to  the  invisible,  and  from  the  local  to  the  universal, 

28 


****i 


A  Spiritual  Christ. 


comes  last.  "  That  is  not  first  which  is  spiritual, 
but  that  which  is  natural."  First  a  Christ  who 
walks  on  the  earth,  then  a  Christ  who  lives  in 
the  heart;  first  a  human  brother,  then  a  divine 
Savior;  first  a  localized  person,  then  a  universal 
presence.  When  the  normal  order  of  develop- 
ment is  followed  this  revelation  of  the  divine  in 
the  human  comes  fi;radually.  There  are  special 
cases,  like  that  of  Paul,  where  the  Lord  of  Glory 
is  revealed  in  the  Son  of  Man  suddenly  and  start- 
lingly,  as  with  a  lightning  flash,  and  the  human 
side  of  Christ's  nature  is  for  a  time  shut  almost 
entirely  out  of  sight  ;*  but  that  is  not  the  usual 
way.  The  usual  way  is  that  followed  in  the  child. 
The  child  begins  with  a  Christ  who  is  known 
after  the  flesh,  and  it  requires  long  and  patient 
instruction,  backed  up  by  the  help  of  the  co-oper- 
ating Spirit,  to  bring  him  to  appreciate  the  higher 
vision  of  Christ.  At  first  Christ  is  the  gentle 
Jesus,  a  human  friend,  a  perfect  man,  by  whose 
k)ve  and  tenderness  the  heart  is  taken  captive; 
find  it  is  only  by  gradual  stages  that  the  mind 
penetrates  through  the  human  to  the  divine  until 
it  finds  at  length  in  the  Jesus  of  Gospel  story  the 
soul's  Redeemer  and  Lord.  The  spiritual  lesson 
is  alwa\  s  the  last  one  to  be  learned,  but  learned 
in  some  wav  it  must  be   before    Christ   can    take 

♦This  idea  is  well  brought  out  in  Chap.  IV.  of   Dr.  George  Mathe- 
son's  "Spiritual  Development  of  St.  Paul." 

29 


After  Pentecost,  What? 

His  rightful  place  in  the  thoughts  and  lives  of 
men.  It  is  not  enough  to  believe  in  a  Christ 
who  lived  and  died ;  we  must  believe  also  in  a 
Christ  who  lives  and  reigns.  "  It  is  Christ  who 
died,  yea  rather  who  is  risen  again,  who  also 
liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us,"  is  the  ex- 
pression of  a  faith  in  which  the  spiritual  has  be- 
come full-grown.  And  when  the  Christ  who 
could  die  is  seen  to  .  j  also  the  Christ  who  has 
conquered  death,  and  is  alive  for  evermore,  the 
ransomed  of  the  Lord  march  to  Zion,  to  the 
music  of  His  name,  with  everlasting  joy  upon 
their  heads. 


30 


CIIAl'TER  III. 


A  blMKITUAL  GOD. 

'•I  feel  that  His  embrace 
Slides  down  by  thrills  through  all  things  made, 
Tliroiigh  sight  and  sciund  of  every  place; 
As  if  my  tender  mother  laid 
On  my  shut  lips  her  kisses'  pressure, 
Half-waking  me 'at  night;  antl  said, 
'Who  kissed  you  through  the  dark,  dear  guesser?"' 

Mrs.  Browning. 

In  giving  a  spiritual  Christ  Pentecost  gave  a 
si)iritual  God.  When  God  was  revealed  in  the 
Sjiirit  He  was  revealed  as  spirit.  Strictly  speak- 
ing,Pentecost  did  not  give  a  new  God,  l)ntitgave 
a  new  and  sid)linied  conception  of  God;  it  did 
not  give  a  better  God,  l)ut  it  gave  a  lietter  un- 
derstanding of  God.  The  incarnation  was  God 
manifest  in  flesh,  Pentecost  was  God  manifest  in 
spirit;  the  incarnation  was  God  dwelling  with 
man,  Pentecost  was  God  dwelling  in  man.  By 
the  incarnation  God  revealed  Himself  openly  in 
tile  world,  by  the  Spirit  He  reveals  Himself  se- 
cretly in  t'.ie  soul ;  by  tlie  incarnation  He  lived  for 
a  season  among  men,  by  ih.e  Spirit  He  lives  per- 
petually in  man.  .^, 

The  revelation  of  God  in  the  Spirit  lifts  into  the 
light  an  aspect  of  the  Godhead  which  is  in  con- 
stant danger   of   being   ol)sciMed.      By    bringing 

31 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


,^  ■ 


tlic  iij^t'-lonj^  process  of  divine  self-manifestation 
to  its  hi<^liesl  sta^c  of  development  it  rounds  out 
to  eonipKlciKs^:  tlie  idea  of  (Jod  as  spiritual. 
When  (iod  nia'a-s  Himself  known  in  the  Sjiirit 
the  re\elation  of  Himself  to  man  reaches  its 
hi;i^hest  form.  His  eff(jrt  to  disclose  Himself  can 
go  no  further. 

Owin;^-  to  the  entanj^lement  of  the  doctrine  of 
the  Holv  Spirit  wilii  speculative  theories  touching 
the  Trinitv — an  entanglement  from  which  it  is 
now  ha])pily  being  cut  loose  -there  was  a  long 
period  during  which  the  simple  Scripture  teach- 
ing upon  tills  important  subject  was    greatly   ob- 


scured 


Tl 


ie  church  is,  however,  comin'f   to  see 


that  whatever  dinicuilies  the  doctrine  of  the  Trin- 


are  insoluble  riddles    who   can    see   how    the   one 
SL'If-existent   bein-'-    should    miuiiftst    Himself    to 


Hi 


IS  children  in  a  \  arietv  oi  wavs 


f 


Tal 


sen  SI  I 


nply 


to  express  the  threencss,  or  llie  three-foldness  of 

32 


A  Spiritual  God. 


the  one  divine  Being,  the  names  Father,  .Son  and 
Holy    .Spirit    arc    full    of  ,gECciyjiii.  sigiiificaiua.-.  ^ 
But,  instead  of  savin;^^  Fatlicr,  Son  and  Spirit  are 


C) 


one  God,  \vc  ou;fht  to  say   there  is  one  (jod,  wli 
is  Father,  .Son  and  .Spirit.      The   Fatlier    is    (iod 
in  u'liversal    relations,  tlie  .Son    is    God    in    reve- 


on. 


lation;  tlie  Holy  .Spirit  is  God  in  operati 
"God  manifests  lliinsi-lf  in  the  .Son,"  says  \'an 
Oster/.ee,  "but  communicates  His  life  throuj^h 
the  Holy  Spirit."  The  S<jn  is  the  self-revealing 
God,  the  Spirit  is  the   self-communicating    God. 


In    the    Fallier 


savs 


Ur.    R.  \V.   Dale,  "God 


jiersonallv  transcends  the  life  and  thought  of  man  ; 
in  the  Son  God  is  persf)nally  revealed  to  man; 
in  the  .Sjjirit  (iod  is  immanent  in  the  higher  life 
of  man. 

which  Deity  evolves  into  a  Trinity,"  in  the  Father 
we  have  the  original  foimtain  of  love,  in  the  Son 
we  have  love  revealing  itself,  in  the  Holy  Spirit 
we  iiave  love  communicating  itself.  God    as   love 


'*   li  love  he   the    immanent    power  "liy 


could  not  remiiin  in  solitude   or   inactivitv 


Tht 


longing  of  tlivine  love  to  find  expression  explains 


tile    incarnation;   llie    ionsrintr    o 


f   d 


IV me    love    to 


imparl  itself  explains  "the  procession  of  the  Holy 
.Spirit  from  the  Father." 

Hut  whether  the    distinctions    in   the    Godhead 
for    which    the    names    Father,    Son,   and    Holy 


♦"Cliiistian  Doctrim: 


p.  164. 


33 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


Spirit,  stand,  are  immanent  and  essential,  or 
whether  they  are  merely  educative  aspects  of  the 
present  redemptive  process,  the  practical  point 
to  he  kept  in  view  is  that  tiiey  present  a  thnefold 
mode  of  divine  self-manifestation,  which,  witliont 
sacrilicin<^  the  diine  iniitv,  meets  to  the  full  the 
intellectual  and  spiritual  needs  of  man. 


N 


times,  however,  are  not  realities.    The  Realitv 


of  Realities — tlie  Supreme  Reality  of  the  Uni- 
verse —tlie  ahsolute  Heiniij  in  whom  and  by 
whom  all  thini^s  exist,  no  name  can  ade(piately 
set  forth.  "God  is  spirit,"*  not  a  Spirit,  hut 
pure  spirit;  and  all  who  wouKl  ".now  anything 
of  Ilis  essential  nature  have  to  <;et  behind  the 
various  forms  and  fi<rures  hv  which  I  le  is  revealed, 


uul  come  into  onscious   contact    wi 


th  II 


im. 


Ii 


the  l)e<^innin;^  of  the  spiritual  development  <if  the 
individual  and  of  tlie  race  all  thtnif^hts  of  God 
st  of  necessity  he  cast  in  an  anthropomorphic 


nni 


mou 


Id. 


S 


nice   we    Have    lu 


o  celestial    lan<rua<re, 


the  Infmite  must  needs  be  translated  into  the 
terms  of  the  linite,  the  spiritual  into  the  terms 
of  the  natural.  Nor  will  this  mislead  if  it  be 
])orne  in  mind  that  all  outward  forms  are  mere 
accommodations  to  t!ie  limitations  of  human 
thouj^ht — mere  ladders  by  which  those  who  dwell 
in  the  darkness  of  the  phenomenal  climb  into  the 

*MarHinaI  Reading  R.  V.  John,  iv.  23, 

34 


A  Spiritual  God. 


li«'ht  of  the  real.  Tlic  reality  always  transcends 
the  form.  God  is  something  more  than  a  mag- 
nified man  having  eyes,  and  hands,  and  feet. 
He  is  spirit;  an(l  those  wlio  desire  really  to  know 
Him  must  rise  a])ove  those  pictorial  representa- 
tions suited  to  a  condition  of  spiritual  childhood, 
until  He  is  revealed  directly  and  immediately  to 
their  spirits. 

Jiut  while  it  is  true  that  the  expression  "God 
is  spirit"  hrings  prominently  into  view  the 
divine  essence  as  distinguished  from  the  divine 
personality,  the  personality  of  God  is  not  swal-|j 
lowed  up  and  lost  in  His  spirituality.  God  is 
not  "a  neuter  absolute,"  hut  a  living  being.  He 
is"  the  Father  of  spirits."  He  is  a  spiritual  Father, 
holding  personal  relations  with  all  His  children. 
In  this  very  connection  His  spirituality  and  father- 
hood are  conjoined.  "Worship  the  Fatlier  in 
spirit  and  in  truth;  for  (iod  is  spirit."  As  spirit 
He  is  not  conlined  witliin  temples  Jind  churches, 
but  is  to  be  found  everywhere  and  worshiped 
anywlicre;  as  a  I'aternal  Spirit  He  is  personally 
and  lovingly  near  to  every  worsliiper. 

The  Holy  Spirit  in  whom  tiie  spirituality  of 
God  is  expressed  is  sometimes  represented  in 
Scripture  as  an  impersonal  force,  attribute  or 
influence;  but  in  tliese  cases  the  sign  is  put  for 
the  thing  signified,  the   symbol   for   the   reality. 

35 


After  IV'iitccost,  What  ? 


In  its  last  analysis  forte  always  involves  pcrson- 
ulity  ;  an  altrihute  is  a  (juality  of  luin^  ;  inllucnco 
is  the  outbreathin^  of  lif<  ...•iiiiiil   every    ^ood 

force,  attribute,  oi  luiiiiciue  ihire  is  uKvays  a 
good  person;  aiul  behiiul  every  e\  il  force,  attri- 
bute, or  inlluence,  llure  is  always  an  evil  person. 

I'rayer  is  frccpjently   offered   for  the   inlluencci 
of   the  Holly   Spirit    when   tlu'   object  of    prayer' 
ou<;ht    to    be   the   Holy    Spirit    Himself.      Those 
who  have  tiie  Holy  Spirit  have  His  inlluence,  as 
those  who  have  the  sun  have  his  lij^ht  and   heat. 

A  recent  writer,  tracintf  in  a  tentative  way 
the  movtments  of  "the  spirit  of  (jotl"  in  the  in- 
tellectual and  moral  developnjent  of  the  race, finds 
"a  spiritual  force  operatinj^  from  the  first  in  He- 
brew history,  and  stranj^ely  differentiating^  and 
inte<^ratin>^  it,  maintaininii;  in  it  a  marked  individ- 
uality and  exclusiveness, while  at  the  same  time  it 
kept  it  in  ori^anic  relation  with  world-history."* 
This  "  h'jtiritual  force"  increases  throuj^h  the  ages 
and  comes  at  len<^th  to  its  fullness  in  Jesus  of  Xa/.a- 
rctii.  The  word  force  is  not  hajjpily  chosen. 
The  movements  of  God  in  history  are  to  be 
regarded  as  something  other,  and  something 
more  than  a  mere  force,  even  if  that  forct-  be 
designated  a  spiritual  force,  or  even  if  il  is 
looked  at  through  Harnack's  eyes,  as  "a  pcjtency 

*"The  Holy  Spirit  in  Literature  and  Life,"    by   Ur.  J.  Coyle,  pp. 
245,246. 

36 


A  Spiritual  God. 


wliich  lias  all  the  rcli<;i()us  value  of  a  person." 
The  tidal  movemeiils  of  history  are  directly  op- 
crated  hy  a  spiritual  hciiii^,  who  is  the  fountain 
of  all  force,  physical  and  spiritual,  potential  and 
actual. 

Matthew  Arnold's  view  of  (Jod  as  "a/mcr/-  not 
ourselves,"  w  Inch  hecomes"  a  stream  of  tendency," 
marks  a  slight  advancement  from  the  conception 
of  God  as  a  mere  ford' ;  hut  it, too,  is  inadecpiate, 
inasmuch  as  hy  rohhinj^  God  of  personality  it  not 
oidy  takes    from    llim    every    shred   of   self-con- 
sciousni'ss,  hut  it  also  renioves  Him  forever   out- 
side the  sphere  of    the    soul's   experience.      It    is 
rcfreshin»(  to  luar   the    veiierahle    Mr.   '  iladstone 
say,   "  1   do   not  hokl   with   streams   of  tendency. 
After    sixty    years    of  puhlic    life    1    hold    more 
stron<;ly   than  ever  this  conviction,  deepened  and 
strenj^tliened  hy  lon>^  experience    of    the    reality, 
and  the  nearness,  and   the    personality   of    God." 
This  clear  note  of  testimony,  horn  of  experience, 
is  specially  valuahle  for  the  recoj^nition  which  it 
^ives  of  the  personal  interest  and  love  of   the  all- 
enfoldin>(  and   all-upholding    Spirit.      From  His 
hroodiui^j     presence    and    emhraciiii^    providence 
there  conies  an  infinite  sense  of  helpfulness  which 
is  scarcely  concei. able   until    His    jiersonality    is 
iirmly  <;rasped.     Tlie  livinij  Spirit  is  the   loving 
Spirit.     Love   is   the   very   breath   of  His    life. 

37 


After  Pentecost,  What? 

Christ  l')\  cil  men  ami  died  for  them ;  the  Holy 
Spirit  loves  men  and  lives  for  them.  lie  identities 
Himself  with  every  human  intereiit.  With  a  love 
that  suffers,  a  love  that  endures, a  love  that  never 
relinquishes  its  henelicent  purpose,  He  gi'es  Him- 
self to  the  work,  of  man's  redemption.  Nothing 
is  too  costly  for  Him  to  give,  nothing  too  hanl 
for  Him  to  do  to  secure  the  highest  welfare  of 
those  in  whose  happiness  He  is  hound  up.  He 
puts  Himself  at  man's  service;  all  that  He  has 
He  holds  and  uses  for  man's  heneiit.  So  close  is 
the  affectional  relation  which  He  sustains  toman 
that  He  is  grieved  or  gladdened  hy  his  conduct. 
Human  sin  is  not  something  committed  against 
a  cold,  dead  luw^ ;  it  is  something  committedll 
against  a  loving,  sensitive  lieing.  There  is  one 
sin  designated  tJic  sin  against  the  Holy  Spirit, 
but  in  a  t»--.e  and  valid  sense  every  sin  is  a  sin 
against  the  Holy  Spirit  and  wouii'^o  His  loving 
heart.  When  anyone  is  in  the  valley  of  decision, 
halting  between  two  opinions, the  Spirit  stands  be- 
side him  urging  him  to  choose  the  better  part; 
when  any  one  makes  a  sinful  choice  he  has  to  set 
aside  the  protest  of  this  Inward  rvIonitor,\vho  lays 
upon  him  the  hand  of  restraint,  saying,  "  See  thou 
do  it  not ;"  when  an\  one  enters  the  downward 
path  of  disobedience  he  ha^  to  push  his  way  past 
this  loving  frientl  who  stands  pleadingly  between 

38 


A  Spiritual  God. 


him  and  ruin,  crying  out,"  Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  why 
will  yc  die?"  when  any  one  remains  impenitent 
he  has  to  harden  his  heart  against  the  moving, 
melting  tears  of  pity  which  the  sorrowing  Spirit 
rains  upon  his  head;  and  when,  on  the  other  hand, 
any  one  siiows  the  sligiUest  in':lination  towards 
higher  things, and  endeavors  to  walk  in  tlie  narrow 
way  which  leads  upward  to  the  life  eternal,  the 
happy  Spirit  encourages  him,  saying,  "  Fear  thou 
not,  for  I  am  with  thee ;  he  not  dismayed,  for  I  am 
thy  Ciod;  I  will  strengthen  thee,  yea,  I  will  up- 
hold thee  with  the  right  hand  of  My  righteous- 
ness." Deeply  affecting  is  all  this  tender  solici- 
tude on  man's  hehalf. 

"O  Spirit,  beautiful  and  dread; 
My  heart  is  like  to  break 
With  love,  for  all  thy  tenderness 
For  us  poor  sinners' sake." 

The  interest  of  the  Spirit  in  the  children  of 
nun  is  no  new  th!;;g.  No  age  has  had  a  monopoly 
of  His  love.  I  lib  operations  have  not  heen  li  nited 
to  cert-;i.i  times  and  reasons.  Througli  all  the 
agi.'s  lie  has  been  incessantly  at  work,  disseminat- 
ing among  men  His  saving  intluencci-,  and  carry- 
ing forward, without  a  break, the  moial  reparation 
of  the  race.  His  power  in  the  worl;l  has  been 
active  rather  tlian  latent.  His  motions  in  man 
have  been  something  more  than  ''proptietic  stir- 
rings;" they  have  l)een  positive  and  fruitful  im- 

39 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


llr- 


pulses.  From  His  hauntiiitic  presence  comes  the 
impulse  to  righteousness  which  all  men  feel,  and 
which  is  commonly  descrihed  as  the  working  of 
conscience.  I'entecost  did  not  mark  I  lis  comingj 
into  the  world  or  into  the  heari;  of  man  for  the 
first  time;  it  marked  His  coming  in  fullres^  ni 
power;  it  marked  the   reaching  of  u   ■. '.'.v  e 

in  His  continuous  redemptive  activity;  .  'rv>.  ked 
the  heginning  of  His  temporal  mission,  wiiich 
thrcugh  the  Incarnate  Son  He  still  carries  on, 
bringing  to  all  men  salvation  to  the  uttermost. 
Never  vvas  theic  atiin<' wlj^-n  the  H-tjl>'_bit2ijlit-ilid  ^/i*- ' 
not  ex ist, iie\  erjviajUiieitxaijLmu  wlieu  I  Ua  activ i Ly-- 
ccasecLiir  slackened. —  Upon  the  face  of  the  waters 
He  brooded  at  creation's  birth,  bringing  cosmos 
out  of  chaos,  light  out  of  darkness,  life  out  of 
death.  He  is  the  great  world-builder,  the  potent 
energy  by  which  and  from  which  all  things  are 
evolved.  E'lually  active  is  He  within  the  spir 
itual  sphere  of  tilings.  Over  the  prostrate  body 
of  humanity  He  is  ever  beniling,  breathing  into 
it  His  inspiring  life, and  resuscitating  its  expiring 
hopes  and  purposes  ;  into  the  hund)lest  heart  that 
lias  sought  Him  He  has  entered-  oftentimes  by 
some  little  wicket  gate,  silendy  and  unol)ser,ed 
— bringing  joy  unspeakable,  and  revealing  things 
that  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  the  hear' 
of  man  conceived;  over  the  discordant  eleme;:'.'- 

40 


A  Spiritual  God. 


ul 
of 

'K 
lie 

')f 

e 

L-h 

■it.         I 


tf/-' 


rs 

OS 

of 
nt 
re 

if' 

b' 

ito 

IK 

lat 

by 
ed 


of  social  life  He  has  ever  IjrooiLd,  l)rir.^i!ij,f  thcin 
into  harmony  with  one  another,  and  with  heaven's 
perfect  order. 

One  purpose  for  which  the  eternity  of  the  Holy 
Spirit   is   brou.i^ht  into   view  in   connection   with 
t'lie   work    of   Clirist  is   evidently   to    furnish    an 
illustrative  example  of  His   ordinary   operations. 
If  Christ,  the  Hi,L,'h  Triest  of  the  race,  "through 
the  Eternal  Spirit,  offered  Himself  without  blem- 
ish unto  (jod;"   if  the  Spirit  was   <^iven   to   Him 
"  witliout  measure,"   anointing  Him  tn  the    work 
of  human  redemption,  ant!  upholding  Him    until 
it  was  accomplished;   if,  through  all  His  earthly 
life,  the  Spirit   dwelt    within    Him,  co-operating 
Willi  llim,  strengthening  Him  for  His  daily  toil, 
ciiaiiliiig  llim  to  perform    mighty    works  which 
no  oilier  man    ever  did,  and   sustaining   Him    in 
the  hour    of    His    deepest    agony,    when    in    the 
culminating   act  of   vicarious    self-surrender    His 
soul  was  made  an  offering  for  sin,  He   will    most 
surely  render  the    measure   of    1k1[)    re<piired    by 
any  one  who  is  willing  and  ready  to  pour  out  his 
life  as  an  oblation   unto   God.      What  the  Eternal 
Spirit  dill  for  Christ  in  the  days  of  His  flesh,  He 
has  always  been  iloing  for  others.      He  has  had  to 
do  with  the  totality  of  human  interests  and  activ- 
ities.     Of  every  sacrificial   life    He  has  been  the 
inspiration.     There  has  been  no  good  thing  done 

41 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


by  any  man  in  which  He  did  not  have  a  part. 
The  H^ht  in  which  men  have  rejoiced  is  the  light 
which  His  presence  has  kindled;  the  strength  in 
which  they  have  vanqnished  evil  and  wrought 
righteousness  is  the  strength  which  His  presence 
has  imparted.  Constant  as  the  operation  of  the 
sun  upon  the  earth  has  been  the  operation  of  His 
life-giving  power  upon  the  hearts  of  men.  The 
long-suffering  love  with  which  He  strove  with 
the  disobedient  antediluvians  to  lead  tliem  to  re- 
pentance (Gen.  vi.  3);  the  unwearied  patience 
w'th  which  He  labored  with  the  Jewish  people 
while  they  rebelled  against  Him,  and  vexed  Him 
sorely  (Comp.  Isa.  Ixiii.  10,  and  Acts  vii.  51), 
have  always  been  displayed  in  his  efforts  to  reach 
alike  tiiose  without  and  those  witliin  the  sphere 
of  gospel  light  and  privilege.  He  has  anticipated 
every  gospel  herald,  going  before  him  to  prepare 
the  way  for  his  message,  going  along  with  him 
to  make  his  message  effective.  He  is  never  out- 
run, or  outdone,  (ireatly  is  He  misunderstood 
when  importuned  to  do  what  He  is  always  doing. 
The  Spirit  of  the  Ages  "  worketh  hitherto,"  and 
worketh  still.  He  is  divine  activity  in  the  pres- 
ent tense;  the  Eternal  Now  of  divine  power. 

To  the  Eternal  Spirit  m/ivcrsa/ily  belongs. 
His  saving  influences  and  efforts  are  not  restricted 
to  certain  places  and  persons;  they  arc  not  exclu- 

42 


A  Spiritual  God. 


sive  property  of  any  elect  people.  Like  the  rain 
which  falls  upon  every  separate  blade  of  grass, 
or  like  the  sunshine  which  falls  on  every  separate 
flower,  they  are  bestowed  impartially  upon  all  con- 
ditions and  classes  of  men.*  I'ctcr  in  his  Pente- 
costal sermon  makes  the  universality  of  the 
Spirit's  operations  the  distin<;uishin<,'  feature  of 
the  new  ai^e  that  was  beinj^  ushered  in.  The 
ancient  prophecy,  "  I  will  j)our  out  My  Spirit 
upon  all  ilesh,"  was  declared  to  be  then  fulfilled. 
The  Spirit  was  j^iven  to  all  without  distinction, 
anil  without  exception,  Echoinj^  the  words  of 
Peter,  Clemens,  liishop  of  Rome,  says:  "There 
was  a  full  outpouring-  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon 
all."  It  is  added  :  "  The  promise  is  unto  you  and  to 
your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off."  It  is 
to  all  who  will  ^'''^''P  i^  '*"''  claim  It.  Free  as  the 
air,  the  Spirit  can  be  had  for  tlie  takin<^;  He  t^ives 
Himself  to  all  in  a  measure  proportioned  to  their 
desire  to  possess,  their  capacity  to  receive,  and 
their  willinjjness  to  use.  By  the  door  which  in 
every  man  opens  to  the  divine  He  enters  laden 
with  blessinji;.  To  every  man  He  brinj^s  a  per- 
sonal messa<jfe ;  with  every  num  He  has  personal 


*"H  is  a  mistake  to  imaKiiU!,"  says  Dr.  W.  A.  Martin,  the  well- 
known  missionary  aiid  orii.'.it.il  scholar,  "that  the  Holy  '".host  con- 
tines  His  operations  within  the  forms  of  Christi  initv  In  licalhe  i 
conntries  His  presence  is  like  oleclric  lliiiil  in  die  .itniosphore,  \\'.t\\  ■■. 
in  Christendom  it  is  like  that  lliii<l  circiil.itint;  ihroieh  a  network  i  f 
wires,  and  responding  to  the  human  touch  iu  piuvidiug  light  aud  licut 
and  power." 


43 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


deal 


ings;  upon 


the   head  of  ev 


cry 


mail 


He  1 


ayi 


His  hand  in  benediction.  Wide  as  the  world  is 
the  sweep  of  His  lovinj^  ministry.  As  the  Father| 
loved  the  entire  world  of  sinners  and  j^ave  Hisl 
only  begotten  Son  for  their  redemption,  as  the 
Son  loved  the  entire  world  of  sinners  and  died  to 
redeem  them,  the  Holy  Spirit  loves  the  entire 
Id  of  sinners  and  strives  to  bring  ll  m  into 
^session   t)f   the   redemi)li()n    which    tlie 


wor 
actual 


poss 


Father  has  provided,  and  the  Son  has  purchased, 


There  breathes  not  a  soul  who  is  not  dear 


to  th(. 


heart  of  the  Spirit,  and  to  whom  His  all-sutlicient 
help  is  not  freely  tendered.  For  every  man's 
salvation  His  best  efforts  are  being  put  forth. 
Not  if  He  can  prevent  it  will  any  one  for  whom 
Christ  died  perish  in  liis  sins. 

In  the  conception  of  God  as  a  Spirit  eternal 
and  universal,  iil)i<jititv  is  incluiled.  In  the  para- 
doxical  lan<rua''e  of  St.  Auj;ustine,  "He  is  most 


hidd 


en,  yet  most  present. 


II 


IS  pervasive  energy 


fills  the  universe.  All  the  processes  of  nature 
are  the  expression  of  His  omnipresent  life.  His 
presence  surrounds  every  soul  as  the  air  surrounds 
the  body,  or  as  the  waters  of  the  ocean  surround 
the  fish  that  swims  through  their  crystal  depths. 
It  is  in  Him  that  the  spiritual  nature  of  man  li\es 
and  moves  and  has  its  being.  As  well  might 
man  attempt  to  flee  from   his  own  shadow  as  to 

44 


A  Spiritual  God. 

flee  from  the  all-embracincj  Spirit.  "Whither 
shall  I  i^o  from  Thy  Spirit?  Or  whither  shall  I 
flee  from  Thy  presence?  If  I  ascend  up  into 
heaven,  Thou  art  there;  if  I  make  my  bed  in 
Sheol,  behold,  Thou  art  there.  If  I  take  the 
win.fijs  of  the  morning  and  dwell  in  tlie  uttermost 
parts  of  the  sea,  even  there  shall  Thy  hand  lead 
me,  and  Thy  rii^ht  hand  shall  hold  me."  (I's. 
cxxxix.  7,8.)  To  localize  the  Spirit,  to  say  that 
lie  is  here  and  not  there,  is  to  deny  His  omni- 
presence; and  to  deny  Ills  omnipresence  is  to 
deny  His  deity.  W'lien  the  question  is  ;isked, 
Where  is  the  Spirit?  it  is  suflicient  to  reply  by 
askinj^,  "Where  is  He  not?"  He  is  everywhere. 
Because  "  the  day  of  His  visitation"  is  beini; 
specially  enjoyed  and  improved  at  one  place,  we 
are  not  to  infer  that  He  is  absent  from  any  other 
place.  With  an  onniiprcsent  beinj^,  absenteeism 
is  impossible.  riie  human  friend  may  be  an  oc- 
casional visitor,  the  Divine  Friend  is  a  perpetufil 
presence.  The  human  Jesus  came  and  went,  tiie 
Spirit  cauK'  and  stays.  "  I  will  make  request  of 
the  Father,"  said  Jesus,  "and  He  shall  J^ive  ycni 
another  helper  that  may  abide  witli  you  for  ever." 
Everywhere  He  is  present,  waitinj,"-  to  find  room 
in  human  hearts.  His  abidin^L^  presence  in  the 
church  is  tin-  source  of  her  inspiration  and 
strength,  the    piedLCe    of    her    ultimate  triumph ; 

45 


! 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

His  abiding  presence  in  the  world  is  the  source 
of  her  aspiration  and  hope,  the  pledge  that  sin 
will  be  subdued,  and  mankind  redeemed.  But 
His  presence  becomes  a  power  oidy  in  so  far  as 
it  is  realized.  Too  often  we  resemble  the  stupid 
Hsh  that  lies  gasping  in  the  sunshine  with  oidv 
one  incli  of  sand  between  him  and  the  water  of 
the  ocean;  one  Hop  would  take  him  over  into  his 
native  element,  but  there  he  lies  in  as  sad  a  plight 
as  if  the  ocean  were  leagues  away.  How  sad  to 
imagine  that  the  Spirit  of  God  is  far  away  when 
He  is  so  very  near!  How  sad  to  perish  of  thirst 
with  the  beating  of  the  waves  of  the  ocean  of 
divine  love  sounding  in  our  ears! 


46 


CHAPTER  IV. 


SPIRITUAL   WORSHIP. 

"Speak  to  Him  then,  (or  spirit  with  spirit 

can  meet; 
Nearer  is  He  than  breathing,  nearer  than 
hands  or  feet." 

Tennyson. 

TnK  spiritiiali/inj^  of  the  idea  of  God  leads  to 
the  spiritualizing  of  worship.  The  truth  that 
(Jod  is  spirit,  carries  with  it  the  ohligation  to 
worship  Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  The  reve- 
l.ition  of  (Jod  ill  the  Spirit  heinjj  the  final  form 
of  divine  self- manifestation,  those  who  do  not 
know  Ilim  in  the  Spirit  do  not  know  Ilim  as  He 
is  now  revealing  Himself,  and  those  who  do  not 
worship  Him  in  spirit  tlo  not  worship  Him 
in  the  wav  in  which  He  seeks  to  he  wor- 
shiped.     A   ciiantre    in    the  (luality    of    worshi 


P 


is    indicated   in   the   words  of    }esus,  "The  hour 


come 


th 


an 


d   now    is,    when    the   true    worshiper 


sh;ill  worshi[)  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth, for 
such  dotli  the  Fatlier  seek  to  he  His  wo/shipers." 
(John  iv.  3^.)  Tlie  true  worshiper  is  now  to 
worship  the  Father,  finding  in  Him  an  ohject 
worthy  of  his  reverence  and  love.  He  is  to  wor- 
ship Him  "  in  spirit,"  that  is,  in  a  spiritual  way, 

47 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


■'> 


as  opposed  to  the  way  which  consists  hi  outward 
acts  which  appeal  to  the  senses;  "and  in  truth," 
that  is,  in  a  true  way — a  way  in  which  the  out- 
ward forms  harmonize  witii  si)iritual  reahties, 
and  fittinj;ly  express  llie  inmost  sentiments  of  thu 
heart. 

True  worship  is  a  s])iritual  act.  It  is  hving 
communion,  Hke  with  Hke,  spirit  with  spirit. 
It  is  an  act  of  the  .Spirit  in  which  the  hody  merely 
assists.  It  demantls  the  vij^orous  use  of  what 
Plato  calls  "soul-wings."  The  divine  Spirit  is 
ever  drawing  man  upward,  the  world-spirit  is 
ever  drawing  him  downward.  Tiiose  who  as- 
cend do  so  by  overcoming  opposition.  In  their 
struggles  to  rise  every  inch  of  progress  is  con- 
tested. Among  the  fantastic  visions  of  St.  An- 
thony there  is  one  in  which  the  soul's  effort  to 
ascend  into  the  spliere  of  the  spiritual  is  strik- 
ingly set  forth.  "One  night  the  saint  heard  a 
voice,  saying  unto  him,  'Anthony,  get  up,  go 
out  and   look.'     He  obeyed,  and  saw  a  gigantic 


funi 


re,  wnose 


head 


was  in 


th 


e  clouds,  and  wliose 


outstretched   arms   extended    far   across   the  skv 


M 


an) 


souls   were  flutterins;   in   the   air,  and  en- 


deavoring, as  they  found  opportunity,  to  fly  up- 
ward, past  this  drca-'ful  being.  Numbers  of 
them  he  seized  in  the  attempt  and  dashed  them 
back  on  the  earth.     Some  escaped  him,  and  ex- 

48 


oi 

C( 

ill 

se 


Spiritual  Worship. 

lilted  above,  while  he  rapped  at  their  success. 
Thus  sorrowing  aiul  rej()icin<,^  were  miuj^led  to- 
^'ether,  as  some  were  defeated  and  others  triumph- 
ant. This  he  was  jriven  to  understand  was  the 
rise  and  fall  of  souls."*  But  there  is  another 
side  to  the  picture,  which  the  dream  of  f,a)od  vSt. 
Anthony  fails  to  present.  If  sonls  in  their  efforts 
to  cleave  their  way  heavenward  are  hiiulered  by 
evil  spirits,  they  are  helped  by  jrood  spirits.  The 
"ministerino;  spirits  sent  forth  to  do  service  for 
them  that  shall  inherit  salvation"  no  doubt  assist 
souls  in  their  upwanl  flij^rht.  And  more  are  the 
unseen  powers  that  are  for  aspirinj^  souls  than 
those  that  are  aj^ainst  them.  Hut  above  super- 
human helpers  is  the  divine  Helper  promised  by 
Christ.  Upon  His  outstretched  winijs  the  soul 
of  man  is  upborne  in  its  attempt  to  soar.  He<^ives 
that  upward  push, without  which  the  soul's  ascent 
would  be  impossible.  All  aspiration  is  born  of 
His  inspiration.  All  worship  is  a  response  to 
His  call.  All  success  in  findin<^  (iod  is  the  re- 
sult of  His  lea(iin^. 

Spiritual  worship  calls  for  strenuous  effort,    lol: 
only  because  of   the  alien    influences  to  be  over- 
come, l/i.t   also   because  of  the   tendency  to  j^^lide 
into  formalism.      It  is  an  easy  thincf  to  be  a  Phari 
see  and  offer  mechanical  worship,  but  it  is  a  difH- 

♦"Hours  with  the  Mystics,"  R.  A.  VauRhan,  p.  no, 

49 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


cult  thing  to  bring  tlic  spiritual  nature  into  exer- 
cise and  offer  spiritual  worship.  Forms  that 
ought  to  he  wings  are  apt  to  become  crutches; 
ceremonies  that  have  been  outgrown  fetter  the 
growing  soul  as  swaddling  bands  tiiat  ought  to 
be  cast  f)ff  when  babyhood  is  past  fetter  the  grow- 
ing child  ;  liturgies  which  at  one  stage  of  develop- 
ment were  found  to  be  helpful  to  the  promotion 
of  spiritual  life,  are  apt, after  long  continued  use, 
to  become  the  means  of  the  soul's  ensla^  nent. 
There  is,  however,  no  necessary  antago  be- 

tween form  and  spirit.  It  is  nf)t  the  use  out  the 
abuse  of  forms  that  is  to  be  condemned.  To  de- 
velop the  function  of  worship  by  reconciling  a 
spirit  of  devotion  with  the  right  use  of  a  beauti- 
ful and  stately  liturgy,  to  break  down  the  middle 
wall  of  partition  between  the  ritualist  and  the 
spiritualist,  making  of  twain  one  new  num,  and 
so  making  peace,  is  not  the  least  imperative  duty 
of  the  modern  churcli.  I>ut  care  must  always  be 
taken  not  to  lean  too  heavily  upon  the  visible  and 
the  external,  for  these  are  to  be  valued  only  so 
far  as  they  help  the  soul  to  reach  the  spiritual 
realities  behind  them.  The  form  exists  for  the 
spirit,  not  the  s]iirit  for  the  form.  "What  is  the 
chaff  to  the  wheat?  saith  the  Lord."  In  the  con- 
stant use  of  set  forms  there  is  always  danger  that 
the  spirit  be  lost  in  the  form,  and  the  image  come 

50 


Spiritual  Worship. 


to  lu-  worshiped  for  ilit-  riJility  -and  this  danj^er 
is  just  as  j^rcat  vvlicn  worsliip  is  by  role  as  when 
it  is  by  IxioU.  The  tendeiuy  to  siihstitutc  form 
I'or  reality  is  illustrated  in  the  superstitious  rev- 
erence paid  to  the  hra/en  serpent  of  Moses,  which 
had  been  the  heaven-appointed  means  of  deliver- 
ance. For  many  "generations  that  interesting;  relic 
was  to  pious  souls  a  precious  memorial  of  God's 
goodness,  and  a  valuable  aid  to  faith  ;  but  by  and 
liy  it  became  a  fetich;  incense  u  as  burned  before 
it  as  an  (jljjjct  of  special  sanctity,  on  account  of 
its  supposed  maj^ical  power.  Seeinj^  that  it  was 
becominj^  a  snare  to  the  conscience,  lle/ekiah 
l)roke  it  in  pieces,  calliiur  it  in  derision  "  Nehush- 
tan" — a  piece  of  brass.  Does  it  not  sometimes 
seem  as  if  it  mii^ht  be  a  i;ood  thinj^  were  some 
iconoclastic  reformer  to  destroy  the  ancient  sym- 
bols which  the  church  holds  in  superstitious  re- 
*(ard,  but  in  which  her  faith  and  devotion  are  no 
longer  expressetl,  that  she  miii^ht  l)e  forced  to 
create  new  ones?  But  perhaps  it  is  wiser  to  let 
the  tares  grow  with  the  wheat,  lest  in  |)ulling  up 
the  tares  the  wheat  is  uprooted  also.  Ihe  old  is 
not  to  l)e  discarded  because  it  is  old,  nor  the  new 
accei)ted  because  it  is  new.  Spirit-tilled  souls 
find  use  for  both.  They  "speak  one  to  another 
in  psalms  and  hvmns,"  using  words  and  iigures 
in  which  the  faith  of  the  past  is  crystallized,  "and 


After  Pentecost,  What  r 


in  spiritual  songs,"  brcaliin<^  out  into  free,  spon- 
taneous utterance  under  the  impulse  of  the  divine 
king    melody   with   the   hei'rt   to   the 


)int 


ma 


«1 

Lord,"  alike  m  what  is  memorized  and  in  what  is 

viseil.      The  spirit  of  worship  is  the  main 


nil  pro 

thing,  and  if  that  be  taken  care  of,  forms  will 
take  care  of  theiuselves ;  they  will  keep  changing 
if  they  are  kept  growing ;  they  will  ujt  become 
petrified  so  long  as  they  continue  to  live;  they 
cannot  be  frozen  into  the  stiffness  of  death  if  the 
breath  of  the  divine  Spirit  be  continually  breathed 
into  them. 

In  desolating  judgments  the  Jewish  temple 
was  swepi  away,  anil  its  cumbersome  ritualistic 
service  forever  abolished,  that  men  might  rise 
from  the  idea  >..f  a  locali/eti  God  to  the  idea  of  a 
God  everywhere  pri'seiit,  and  that  in  ihe  absenee 
of  all  exteiiml  symbols  they  might  commune  with 
Ilim  in  spirit,  everywhere,  and  at  all  times.  'J'liis 
great  transition  fv.iii  the  material  to  the  spiritual 
in  religion,  of  which  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem was  the  outwaril  sign,  is  piclorially  described 
in  tile  epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  The  law  is  t!)ere 
set  forth  as  inlroduetory  to  the  gospel;  Moses 
prefigures  Christ;  the  yXaroiiii- priesthood  is  con- 
summated in  tile  C'iiristiaii  prieslhuod ;  distinc- 
tions between  things  sacred  and  things  secular  are 
abolished;  holy  orders,  holy  places,  holy  daysbe- 

Z2 


Spiritual  Worship. 


come  things  of  the  past;  all  Christians  arc  "an 
elect  race,  a  royal  priesthood  ;"  all  i)laccs  arc  holy 
places;  all  days  arc  holy  days.  It  is  not  that  the 
sacred  has  hecome  common,  but  the  Ci^rnuKHi  has 
become  sacred,  1"' very  meal  is  a  sacrament,  every 
event  a  providence,  every  hearth-stone  an  altar, 
every  heart  a  temple. 

It  is  truly  wonderful  to  what  an  extent  the 
cliurc'i  ignores  this  ciiange  from  the  outward  to 
the  spiritual,  and  how  tenaciously  she  clings  to 
obsolete  cereinonials.  A  curious  survival  of  a 
defunct  form  is  found  in  the  use  of  the  tcrni"altar" 
in  certain  I'rolcslant  churches.  Mourners  arc  in- 
vited to  come  to  "  the  altar."  Has  the  churcii  of 
Christ  a  literal  altar?  Arc  not  the  sacrifices 
which  she  offe»*s  "'spiritual  sacrifices?"  and  is  not 
the  altar  upon  which  they  arc  offered  a  spiritual 
altar?  In  the  Koman  Catholic  Cliurch  the  climax 
to  an  imposing  ritual  is  found  in  "  the  elevation  of 
the  host,"  by  which  the  perpetual  satrific:  of 
Christ  is  offered  by  the  church.  Hut  if  Christ 
made  "one  sacrifice  for  sin  fc-evcr,"  there  is  no 
need  that  His  sacrifice  be  relieved.  What  is  now 
demanded  of  Christians  is  ;  >*  a  sin  offering,  but 
a  self-offering.  Their  lives  as  a  perivtual  obla- 
tion are  to  be  freely  expended  in  self-giving 
sacrifice  for  others.  "  To  do  good  and  to  com- 
municate forget  not,  for  with  such  sacrifice    God 

53 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


is  well  pleased."  And  just  as  there  is  no  literal 
altar  or  sacrifice,  there  is  no  literal  priesthood. 
The  assumption  on  the  part  of  a  sinful  mortal  of 
a  priestly  power  hy  which  he  opens  for  otliers 
the  door  of  access  to  God,  and  hy  which  the 
grace  of  God  is  magically  and  mysteriously  con- 
veyed to  others,  cannot  be  too  heartily  repudiated. 
The  only  human  priesthood  tiiat  now  exists  is 
the  spiritual  order  of  believing  souls.  In  the 
Christian  system  the  method  of  attorneyship  lias 
no  place.  To  the  humblest  believer  is  given  the 
right  and  tlie  privilege  ot  going  alone  into  tiie 
presence  of  the  Most  High,  and  as  a  sj)iritiial 
priest,  divinely  anointed,  offering  up  upon  the 
altar  of  a  sincere  heart  sacrifices  of  praise,  and 
prayer,  and  holy  deeils,  acceptable  to  God 
through  Jesus  Christ. 

All  worship  is  empty  and  vain  that  does  not 
take  the  spirit  of  man  through  the  outer  court  of 
the  material, with  itssiiadows  of  hcaxculy  tilings, 
into  the  holy  of  holies  of  spiritual  coiiununion. 
The  worsliiji  that  is  "in  spirit  and  in  trutii"  is 
actual  fellowship  wilii  the  l''atiier,  whom  the  Son 
objectifies,  and  unit)  whose  presence  the  Spirit 
takes  us.  "We  are  the  circumcision,"  exclaims 
St.  Paul,  "  wlio  worship  1)V  the  Sjiiril  of  God, 
and  glory  in  Christ  Jesus  (in  whom  we  tliscern 
the  supreme  revelation  of  God)  and  have  no  con- 

54 


Spiritual  Worship. 


fidencc  in  the  flesh."  (Phil.  iii.  3.)  Spiritual  com- 
munion is  with  the  leather,  throufrh  the  Son,  by 
the  Spirit.  Tlic  Spirit  is  not  tlie  object  but  the 
inspirer  of  w()rslii[).  IJy  His  touch  upon  the  heart 
the  feelin;^  of  worsliip  is  awakened;  throuj^h  His 
abidin^r  presence  in  the  heart  communion  of  life 
and  love  \vith  the  Father  is  maintained.  Those 
in  whom  He  al)i(les  are  made  one  witli  the  Father 
not  alone  in  their  hours  of  devotion,  but  in  the 
whole  round  of  their  daily  duties.  'I'heir  lives 
are  attuned  to  the  heavenly  harmvjuies;  their 
spirits  are  kej)t  in  a  worsiii[)ful  mood  ;  they  "  pray 
at  all  seasons  in  the  Spirit";  their  entire  life  is 
one  contiiuious  act  of  devotion  ;  so  that,  as  Victor 
Hugo  has  put  it,  "  whateN  be  the  attitude  of  the 
body,  the  soul  is  always  upun  its  knees." 

The  possil)ility  of  man  lindin;;the  Father,who 
is  the  supreme  object  of  hiscpiest,  lies  in  the  fact 
that  He  is  alwa\s  in  His  world.  This  great 
world-house  is  His  family  home  in  which  He  al- 
ways dwells  among  His  children.  Never  is  He 
apart  from  the  universe,  and  never  is  He  apart 
from  tile  soul.  The  iie  worshiper,  withdraw- 
ing within  himself,  entering  into  the  inmost  sanc- 
tuarv  of  his  spiritual  being,  and  shutting  the  door 
which  excludes  the  external  world,  tii\ds  (Jod 
th  jre  ;  going-  out  of  himself,  sending  his  soul  out 
into   the    unseen   realm    in  search  of  the   Infmite 

55 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


Good,  he  finds  Him  there.  The  Supreme  Spirit 
whom  he  worships  as  his  Father  is  not  hanished 
outside  the  world,  nor  imprisoned  within  it.  He 
is  both  immanent  and  transceiuient ;  witiiin  the 
world,  and  above  it;  at  the  center  of  beinj^  and 
enthroned  above  the  highest  heavens;  the  inward 
shekinah  before  whom  the  spirit  silently  l)ows, 
and  "God  over  all,  blessed  forever,"  the  object 
of  all  true  worship,  human  and  an<>;elic. 

Whether  the  Father  is  sought  above  or  within, 
en  or    in    the    heart,  tiie   one    thing  to  be 
ind  is  that  He  is  al\va\s    v,  ithin   reach. 


in 


heav 


kept 


in  m 


}■' 


Where  heaven  is  we  knov,-  not,  but  far  away  it 
cannot  be,  for  between  it  and  earth  there  is  close 
connection,  and  every  pra>er  sent  to  it  reach  ^s 
its  destination  at  once.  Prayer  does  not  bring 
heaven  near  to  us,  but  it  brings  us  near  to  heaven  ; 
it  docs  not  bring  the  Father  to  us,  but  it.  brings 
us  to  the  Father;  it  does  not  change  the  Father 
in  His  relation  to  us,  hut  it  changes  us  in  our  re- 
lation to  the  Father.  Even  when  we  do  not  pray 
the  Father  is  with  us,  but  when  we  pray  we  are 
with  Him.  Any  one  can  say  of  the  ever-watch- 
ful Father,  "When  I  awake  Tiiou  art  siill  with 
nic,"  but  only  the  praying  soul  can  say  witli  the 
Psalmist,  "When  I  awake  I  am  still  with  Thee." 
Prayer  is  the  uplooking,the  uplifting, the  upreacii- 
ing  of  the  soul  to  the  Supreme   Good;  it  is  "the 

56 


Spiritual  Worship. 


i\\<rht  of  the  lonely  to  the  Only,"  it  is  the  sours 
escape  from  its  limitations  and  weakness  to  the 
source  of  infinite  comfort  and  help.  To  say  that 
to  pray  is  to  bej^  is  a  hej^^arly  conception  of 
prayer.  To  pray  is  to  wait  upon  God,  to  come 
into  direct  contact  with  Ilim,  to  listen  to  Him, 
"to  in(iiiire  in  His  temple,"  to  tarry  at  His  feet 
until  His  mind  is  made  known.  Prayer  is  not 
abstraction,  it  is  aspiration.  It  does  not  consist 
in  starin'^  into  the  eternal  darkness,  but  in  lifting 
up  the  spirit  into  communion  with  the  Eternal 
Father.  It  is  not  an  apostrophe  t(j  the  All-Being 
who  is  unknown  and  uidvnowable,  but  intelligent 
converse  with  the  All-Father  who  is  ever 
seeking  after  man  that    He   may  open  up  com- 


munication    wi 


th 


liim. 


'  The    consciousness 


of  God,"  of  which  .St.  Peter  speaks  (l  Pet. 
ii.  19),  is  something  more  than  the  dim  sense  of 
"a  presence  that  disturbs."  It  is  die  conscious- 
ness of  the  presence  of  one  with  whom  we  have 
personal  and  vital  relations,  one  with  whom  we 
have  the  closest  atlinity  and  fellowship,  one  with 
whom  we  liave  ); Tsonal  intercourse.  Sir  Moiuer 
WilHams,  liio  i^reat  oriental  scholar,  asserts  that 
the  consciousness  of  personal  imion  and  fellow- 
ship with  iun\  is  a  unique  anil  distinctive  feature 
of  the  Christian  religion.  He  fails  to  find  it  in 
any  of  the  religions  of   the   East.      Between  the 

57 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


pantheistic  f?od  of  nucUlhisni,  who,  although  the 
immanent  Ufc  and  glory  of  nature,  knows  noth- 
ing of  individual  men,  and  the  personal  (Jod  of 
the  New  Testament,  who  nund)ers  the  hairs  of 
our  head, there  is  a  gulf  deep  and  unhritlgahle.  It 
is  no  abstract,  pervasive  presence  before  whom 
the  Christian  worshiper  stands.  He  draws  near 
to  a  personal  friend  whose  love  is  "  his  spirit's 
food  and  sunshine,"  and  looking  up  into  His  face, 
cries  in  the  spirit  of  adoption,  "My  Father!" 

Personality  in  man  cries  out  for  a  personal 
God,  all-wise,  all-powerful,  all-merciful;  the 
touch  of  whose  hand  may  he  felt,  the  sound  of 
whose  voice  may  he  heard.  Man  has  always  felt 
the  need  of  a  God  sustaining  towards  him  livin*;, 
loving  relationship ;  a  God  wliom  he  can  know 
and  love,  a  God  into  whose  sympathetic  ear  he  can 
pour  out  his  soul.  Every  system  ai  philosoj)hy 
from  which  personality  has  been  evaporated  has 
been  found  to  be  ilefectixe  and  inisatisfactory  ; 
and  every  system  of  religious  thought  from  which 
the  personality  of  God  has  been  eliminated  has 
utterly  failed  to  satisfy  the  yearnings  of  the  heart. 
Who  can  worship  an  infinite  essence?  Tlie  crav- 
ing of  man  is  for  a  God  upnu  whom  he  can  get 
an  inilividual  grip.  "My  soul  tliirsteth  for  Goil, 
for  the  living  God,"  is  the  passionate  outcry  of 
one  who  speaks  as  the  mouthpiece  of  the  race. 

58 


Spiritual  Worship. 

The   ground  of   this   personal   intercourse  be- 
tween  God   and   man  is  found  in  the  mediation 
of  Christ,  which  the  Spirit  makes  effectual.      In 
reminding  Jews  and  Gentiles  alike,  of  the  spirit- 
ual unity  into  which   they  had  been  brought  in 
Christ,  Paul  says,  "Through  Him  we  both  have 
our  access  in  one  Spirit  unto  the    Father"  (Eph. 
ii.  18),  '-  more  literally,  "through  llim  we  both 
are  brought   toward    the    Father  in  one  Spirit." 
All  who  are  brought  toward   the   Father   in   the 
Spirit  are  brought  toward  Ilim  through  Christ. 
Christ  is  the  only  way  to  the  Father,and  hence  all 
who  come  to  the  Father  in  the  Spirit,  must  come 
through  Him.      His    mediation    is    fundamental. 
Souls  cannot  escape  from  its  operation  any  more 
than  bodies  can  escape  from  the  working  of  the 
law  of  gravitation.      With  every  worshiping  soul 
Christ  identifies  Himself;  standing  with  him  in 
the    Father's   presence,  making     intercession    on 
his  behalf.    The  universality  of  His  mediation  is 
based  upon    the  relation   which    man  sustains  to 
God-  a  relation    which  Jesus    might    almost    be 
said  to  have  discovered.      When    He    died,  "the 
jns^  one   for  the  unjrst  to  bring   man  to   God," 
He  died  tobi';>g  the   r'.ild    to    the    Father;     He 
died  to  restore  a   r  ^. cured    relationship.      Man  is 
God's    child,     His   wayward     child,     His     self- 
exiled   child.   His  los^   child,  but   still  His  child. 

59 


After  Pentecost,  What! 


And  as  God's  child  he  has  a  rijjfht  to  come  into 
His  presence  at  all  times  and  hold  fellowship 
with  Him.  Hut  this  right  he  may  not  care  to 
claim;  the  sense  of  his  divine  sonship  may 
remain  dormant;  he  may  not  realize  his 
divine  heredity;  he  may  not  \alue  his  priv- 
ilctjes  as  a  son  of  God;  he  may  be  starving 
in  the  far  country,  when  he  might  lie  feast- 
ing in  the  Father's  house.  Yet,  however  forlorn 
and  depraved  he  may  he,  he  is  just  as  welcome 
into  the  Father's  presence  as  the  most  exalted 
seraph.  Before  him  the  beautiful  gates  leading 
to  the  King's  palace  stand  ever  open  ;  and  the  ap- 
proach is  clear  all  the  way  up  to  the  throne-room 
and  audience  chamber,  where  the  King,  his 
Father,  waits  to  receive  him.  No  barriers  re- 
main between  man  and  God  except  those  which 
his  earthly  environment  of  necessity  imposes. 
Through  the  "one  Mediator,  Himself  man," 
there  is  perfect  freedom  of  access  for  all  to  the 
Father.  l?ut  man  is  still  in  the  body.  The  things 
of  the  spirit-realm  he  sees  "through  a  veil  that 
hangs  between";  although  when  his  eyes  are 
anoiiited  of  the  Spirit  tliat  veil  keeps  growing 
thinner.  He  chafes  against  his  limitations,  beat- 
ing his  breast  against  the  bars  of  his  cage,  "  yearn- 
ing, straining,  for  the  prison  of  confining  flesh  to 
burst"  and   set   him  free,  that  he   may   stand   in 

60 


Spiritual  Worship. 

God's  most  holy  place,  and  see  him  face  to  face, 

lost  in  the  light  of 

"The  ineffable  Forever, 
And  the  eternal  All  in  All." 


6i 


CHAPTER  V. 


A  SIMKIl  UAr,  AI'I'KKIIKNSION  OF  TUUTH. 

"A  man  can  understand  inspired  Scriptures  only  as  he 
is  in  the  same  spirit  in  which  they  are  given  " 

George  Fox 

Many  who  read  the  words  of  Scripture  do  not 
see  ill  them  a  revelation  of  spiritual  truth;  just 
as  many  who  saw  Christ  in  the  ilesh  did  not  see 
in  Him  a  revelation  of  (Jod.  For  the  discern- 
ment of  spiritual  truth  the  inward  illumination 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  is  an  essential  recpiisite. 
The  Spirit's  presence  in  the  heart  develops  a  new 
spiritual  sense  which  enables  one  to  see  behind 
the  veil  of  the  phenomenal  and  discern  the  spirit- 
ual meaning  in  the  material  S3'mb()l,  the  divine 
idea  in  the  human  words.  This  new  spiritual 
sense,  which  is  sometiines  spoken  of  as  a  sixth 
sense,  opens  up  a  new  world  -  a  worhl  of  which 
this  mundane  sphere  is  but  the  shadow.  "  Eye 
hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered 
into  the  heart  of  man  the  things  which  God  hath 
prepared  for  them  that  love  Him";  prepared  here 
and  now,  and  not  in  some  distant  and  future 
heaven.  Of  these  supersensible  things  it  is  dis- 
tinctly declared  that  "  God   hath  revealed  them 

62 


A  Spiritual  Apprehension  of  Truth. 


unto  us  by  His  Sj)iril."  Into  tlic  inner  court  of 
spiritual  knowlcdijjc  all  arc  brouijht  who  discard 
llcshly  wisdom  and  allow  themselves  to  he  led  and 
cnli^hteni-d  hy  the  Spirit  of  (iod.  Totluni,  un- 
seen, unheard,  unima>^ined  thinj^s  are  s])iritiiallv 
revealed.  'J'hey  ex[)ericiice  more  than  is  implied 
in  the  relij^ious  truism  of  Orij^en  lhat"hvth" 
contact  of  the  Holy  .Spirit  thev  hecome  clearer  in 
their  mental  percei)tions,  and  have  their  souls 
tilled  with  a  l)ri<^hter  lij^ht";  for  to  llieir  enrap- 
tured vision  the  secrets  of  the  spiritual  world  lie 
disclosed.  W'alUin;^  in  the  Spirit,  they  walk  in 
the  li^dit  in  the  Xew  Jerusalem. 

The  power  of  spiritual  apprehension  is  at  bot- 
tom a  moral  quality.  "Each  man  enters  into  God 
so  much  as  God  enters  intoliim,"  is  the  profound 
remark  of  Amiel.  What  he  sees  is  determined 
by  what  he  is.  It  is  no  poet's  dream  that  hea\en 
lies  about  us  in  our  infancy.  Tlie  innocence  of 
childhood  ^ives  the  sinj^le  eye  that  makes  the 
vision  clear.  The  loss  of  heart-purity  entails  the 
loss  of  spiritual  siijht.  An  evil  heart  exhales 
vapors  which  render  the  revi'Iations  of  (Jod 
murky  and  obscure.  To  a  soul  immersed  in  car- 
nality the  spiritual  worhl  is  a  blank.  Hut  to  the 
spiritual  man,  the  man  of  sensitized  conscience, 
the  spiritual  world  stands  revealed.  Tlie  true  in 
heart  know  the  truth;  the  pure  in  heart  see  (Jod. 

63 


After  I'enlLCosl,  What? 

Eviiy  plim<ie  in  the  lavcr  of  rcf^encratioii  brings 
a  fresh  ai)()c;ilyi)sc;  every  lonsecratcci  lieij^ht 
liecoines  a  new  I'isj^ah;  every  anointini;  of  the 
Holy  One  purees  the  eyes  from  those  earthly 
films  which  prevent  the  soul  from  penetrating;  to 
the  essential  ami  tlie  eternal. 

Love  of  the  truth  is  another  important  element 
in  spiritual  discerinnenl.  "Affection  is  part  of 
insi<jht,"  is  the  apt  remark  of  Canon  Mo/ley. 
The  lo>.  e-lit  eye  iu'es  deep  into  the  heart  of  things. 
Sj)iiiliial  truths  which  coyly  shrink  from  the  gaze 
of  cold  intellectualism  manifest  themseKes  to 
those  who  possess  the  lover's  heart.  In  the  light 
of  the  love  which  the  Holy  Spirit  kindles  many 
things  are  made  visible  which  otherwise  wotd  1 
remain  concealed. 

W'ilhout  the  purif\  ing  anil  enlightening  touch  ol 


til 
th 


ipirit  no  one  can  sie   into  liolv  Writ  1  cyoiid 


R-  priuicd  pa-re, 


Q 


ncstions  o 


f  extc 


ernal  criticism 


are  to  be  settled  by  scholars, but  spiritual  cpicstions 
hold  their  solution  in    reserve  ior   those   who  are 


tauL'lit  o*^  tiie  bnirit 


The  Author  of    the    J}il)le 


knows  what  is  in  it,  and    lie  alone    is   competent 

He    only    thiit    made    the 
to  a  kev  that 


to  interpret  it  to  us. 


lock 


savs  (jurnal 


can  Help    us 


will  fit  its  wards,  .'uul  open    its   sense. 


It 


IS  no 


mere  puzzle  book  that  He  has  given  to  us.    There 
is  in  the  Bible  no  mystery  which  He  is  not  anxious 

64 


A  Spiritual  Aiipiuhcnsion  of  Truth. 


to  unfold.  To  t^ive  to  men  an  unclcrstandiufj  of 
its  inmost  teachings  is  llic  object  of  His  constant 
effort.  He  goes  before  every  e.'irnist  truth-seeker 
flashinjj  an  electric  search-lij^ht  down  into  the 
darkness  of  its  abysmal  depths,  that  the  pearls  of 
truth  may  be  discovered;  He  {guides  Iiiin  where 
to  sink  his  shaft  that  he  may  reach  undreamed- 
of deposits;  things  that  with  all  his  searching  he 
coidd  never  have  found  out  are  "revealed  unto 
him  by  the  Spirit,"  "for  the  Spirit  searcheth  all 
things,  yea,  the  deep  things  of  God;"  bringing 
to  view  the  treasures  of  hidden  knowledge  which 
lie  buried  in  the  Word,  waiting  the  time  when 
they  can  be  understood  and  used. 

Spirit-taught  men  possess  a  new  Bible.  "Either 
I  have  changed  or  the  liible  has  changed,"  ex- 
claimed a  newly  anointed  soul,  "for  it  has  become 
a  new  book  to  me."  Primarily  the  change  was 
in  himself.  Ihe  Bible  was  made  new  to  him 
because  he  had  found  a  new  light  by  which  to 
read  it.  An  illumiiuited  sold  possesses  an  illu- 
minated liible.  It  is  the  presence  of  the  Spirit 
within  the  heatt  that  makes  the  Bil)le  a  new  book 
to  e\ery  true  Christian;  and  it  is  the  presence  of 
the  Spirit  of  (Jod  within  the  Bible  itself  that 
makes  it,  to  each  successive  agi',  a  message  fresh 
from  the  heart  of  Gotl.  Through  the  Bible  the 
Spirit  is  always  speaking  to  men,  anil  tho:->e  wlio 

65 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


turn  aside  from  its  teachings  miss  1 1  is  most  distinct 
and  assuring  message.  The  Bible  is  not  merely 
a  spoken  word;  it  ib  a  speaking  word.  It  is  not 
an  echo  from  the  dead  past, hut  a  voice  in  the  liv- 
ing present;  it  is  not  "an  outgrown  shell  hy  life's 
unresting  sea,"'  but  a  word  living  and  powerful 
— a  word  pulsating  with  warm  life-blood — a  word 
throbbing  with  vital  energy.  Said  Napoleon, 
"The  ])ihle  is  something  more  tlian  a  book;  it 
is  a  living  thing."  And  because  living  it  is  life- 
giving.  It  breeds  motives,  it  produces  right- 
eousness, it  imparts  life  to  dead  and  dying  souls. 
"The  woids  that  I  speak  unto  you,"  savs  the 
Christ,  "are  spirit  and  are  life."  They  touch  the 
lifeless  heart  of  man  and  it  starts  into  life,  as  in 
the  ancient  legend  the  sleeping  princess  in  the 
enchanted  palace  awoke  from  the  sleep  of  years 
at  the  kiss  of  the  priu'-e. 

The  Spirit  is  in  all  the  Bible,  hut  not  in  equal 
measure  in  all  its  parts.  As  a  progressive  rev- 
elation corresponding  in  its  various  stages  of 
growth  with  the  spiritual  devch^pment  of  the  race, 
it  shows  an  evor-ircreasing  fullness  of  the  Spirit's 
presence  and  power.  It  is  a  long  cry  between 
Sinai  and  Cf'vary.  Jesus  is  more  attractive  than 
Jehovah.  The  record  of  the  incarnation  at  the 
beginning  of  the  New  Testament  is  the  prelude 
to  the  revelation  of  the  kingd(>m  at  its  close.   The 

66 


A  Spiritual  Apprehension  of  Truth. 

fourth  Gospel  rinis  deeper  than  the  synoptical 
Gospels.  Apostolie  theology  gives  a  more  com- 
prehensive view  of  the  work  of  Christ  than  the 
theology  of  the  evangelists.  The  cry,  "  Back  to 
Christ,"  is  misleading  if  it  means,  back  to  Christ 
froin  the  Apostles:  it  is  a  true  guiding  cry  if  it 
means  back  to  Christ  through  the  Apostles.  All 
the  truth  about  Christ  is  not  unfolded  in  the  four 
fragmentary  records  of  his  earthly  life.  In  the 
light  reflected   from   the   Apc^stolic  tings    we 

read  the  deeper  meaning  of  the  Gospels;  in  the 
Apostolic  theology  we  have  the  harvest  gathered 
by  the  disciples  from  the  see('   which  the  Master 
planted.    But  A))ost()lic  theology  was  not  final.    It 
did  not  set  the  truth  in  lixed  and  unchanging  form. 
It  prepared  the  way  for  tbe  still  greater  revelation 
of  Christ  which  the  Spirit  is  now  unfoUling.    All 
the  secrets  of  the    Christ-life    have  not   yet  been 
discovered;  all  its  ocean  depths  have  not  yet  been 
sounded;  all  its  vast  domains  have  not   }  et   l)een 
explored;     all  its  stored  no  light  has  not    broken 
out  at  the  touch  of  reverent  study.      There  are  as 
many  and  as  important  discoveries  yet  to  be  made 
in  the   region  of   Christological    truth   as  in  the 
world  of  nature.      "lie  that  hath  an  ear"  is  called 
upon  to  "hear  what    the    Spirit  .sa/V//,"   that   is, 
what  the  Spirit  is  now  saying  "  to  the  churches." 
For  the  church  of  to-day  the  ever  speaking  Spirit 

^>7 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


has  a  distinctive  message.  He  has  new  liglit  to 
shed  upon  old  problems;  He  has  a  satisfactory 
solution  to  present,  from  Christ,  for  all  the  per- 
plexing problems  which  have  grown  out  of  the 
new  conditions  of  the  present;  He  has  something 
to  say,  in  Christ's  name,  that  is  all-important, 
about  the  ap})lication  of  the  gospel  to  the  existing 
social  and  industrial  situation.  As  a  living  guiile, 
a  source  of  present  illunnnation,  He  is  giving 
to  the  church  of  to-day  new  and  enlarged  visions  of 
truth,  widening  her  conception  of  the  scope  of 
the  gospel  by  leading  her  to  see  the  entire  suit- 
al)leness  and  sulliciency  of  the  redemption  of 
Christ  to  every  possil)le  condition  and  contingency 
that  may  arise  in  the  age-long  conllict  of  right 
with  wrong,  just  as  He  widened  the  thought 
of  the  early  church  to  God's  growing  purpose  of 
redemption,  by  leading  those  who  were  Jews  to 
see  that  the  Gentiles  were  partakers  with  them  of 
the  same  privileges,  and  heirs  with  them  of  the 
same  inheritance.  Jesus  distinctly  promised  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  would  supplement  His  teachings, 
making  known  things  for  which  the  church  vvouKl 
not  be  ripe  until  after  His  departure.  Hear  Him 
declare,  "  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  yon, 
but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now.  Howheit  when  Ih', 
the  Spirit  of  truth  is  come,  He  shall  guide  you 
into  all  the    truth,  for  He  shall  not    speak    from 

68 


A  Spiritual  Apprehension  of  Truth. 

Himstlf,  but  what  things  soever    He  shall   hear, 
these  shall  He  speak,  and   He  shall   declare    unto 
you    the   things   that  are  to   come."     (John    xvi. 
12,  13).     Again  He  says,  "The  Comforter,  even 
the  Holy  Spirit  whom  the   Father    will    send    in 
My  name.  He  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring 
to  your  remembrance  all   that  I    said    unto   you." 
(John  xiv.  16.)  The  Holy  Spirit  was  to  complete 
the  instruction   of   Christ's  disciples  by  enabling 
tiiem  to   keep  the   old    in    mind    and   to  add  to    it 
things  that  were  new.      He    was    to    teach    them 
"all  things";  not  of   course  all  things  absolutely, 
but  all  things  which  it  was  needful  to  know.   He 
was   to   guide   them    into  "all    the    truth";   with- 
holding nothing  of  practical    value,  and    grading 
up  His  instruction  to  their  growing  intelligence; 
unfolding  to  them  the  mind  of  the  Master  just  as 
fast  as  they  were  able  to  bear  it. 

It  is  because  the  Progressive  Spirit  continues 
His  work  of  revelation  within  the  church,  that 
she  continues  to  grow  in  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth.  To  His  immediate  inspiration  all  progress 
in  spiritual  knowledge  is  due.  Creeds  become 
outworn  and  olisolete  because  He  leads  the  church 
into  new  light;  new  wine-skins  have  to  be  pro- 
\  ided  because  He  keeps  the  wine  of  truth  in  a  state 
of  fermentation;  seed-truths  which  have  lain 
dormant  in  the  Bible  suddenly   develop  into  fuU- 

69 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


nessof  fruita<(c  when  the  time  has  come  for  His 
quicl<ening  povver  to  take  effect  iijion  them.  Witli- 
out  thinkinji^  a])out  it,  the  church  often  follows 
the  Spirit's  leadinj^  implicitly,  and  accepts  His 
will  as  an  independent  source  of  authority.  She 
holds  to  things  not  directly  bunetioned  by  Scrip- 
ture, tacitly  assuming  that  they  are  in  accord- 
ance with  the  mind  of  the  vSpirit.  The  fun- 
damental principle  of  Protestantism  as  ex- 
pressed by  Chillingvvorth  is  "The  Bilile,  the 
whole  Bible,  and  nothing  but  the  Bible,"  but 
with  that  principle  Protestants  have  often  been 
strangely  inconsistent.  If  the  Bible  is  the  sole 
ground  of  authority,  where,  for  instance,  is  there 
the  slightest  warrant  for  the  observance  of  the 
Sabbath  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  instead  of 
the  seventh  ?  Wherever  the  ground  for  the  change 
of  the  day  is  to  be  found,  it  cannot  be  found  in  a 
divine  enactment.  The  Roman  Catholic  Church 
claims  that  as  "the  spouse  of  Christ"  she  has  for 
valid  reasons  changed  the  day,  and  that  Prot- 
estants have  iilindly  followed  in  her  wake.  To  this 
charge  the  only  satisfactory  answer  is  that  the 
change  did  not  take  place  by  the  decree  of  a  church 
council,  but  by  "the  immediate  authorization 
of  the  Holy  Spirit."  The  cliurch  council  merely 
registered  the  change.  The  change  itself  took 
place  as  naturally  as  the  transition    from    winter 

70 


A  Spiritual  Apprehension  of  Truth. 


to  sprinj^;  no  direct  command  was  required  to 
gi  .  it  effect;  and  so  well  assured  is  the  church 
that  she  has  not  erred  in  following  her  Uviug 
Teacher  that  lier  serenity  is  undisturhed,  alike 
by  the  claims  of  ecclesiastical  monopolists,  and  by 
reasonings  of  Judaistic  literalists.  Slie  is  sure 
that  she    stands  upon  the  Spirit's  ground. 

Does  the  church  of  to-day  sutliciently  realize 
that  from  tlie  Holy  Spirit  comes  present  illu- 
mination; and  that  as  the  Revealing  Spirit  He 
seeks  to  keep  her  in  close  connection  with  the 
source  of  truth,  not  only  for  the  purpose  of  vi- 
talizing her  moribund  theology,  so  that  the  truth 
contained  in  her  venerated  symbols  of  failli  may 
be  conserved,  but  also  iov  llic  purpose  of  guiding 
her  into  "  tbe  present  truth,"  that  she  may  be  His 
mouthpiece  in  declaring  it  to  the  world?  He  is 
using  tile  church  not  oidy  to  guard  and  j)ropagate 
the  deposit  of  truth  contained  in  the  writtenW'ord, 
but  also  to  be  His  living  voice  in  the  present.  He 
is  speaking  to  her  that  He  nuiy  speak  through  her. 
If  at  any  time  the  church  has  no  special  message 
to  deliver,  it  is  because  her  connection  with  the 
Spirit  of  Trutii  is  broken.  Tinies  of  spiritual 
deadness  are  always  times  of  spiritual  darkness, 
and  times  of  spiritual  life  are  always  times  of 
spiritual  enlightenment.  Every  new  baptism 
of  tbe  Spirit   brings  a   new  revelation  of  truth, 

71 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

and  every  new  revelation  of  truth  furnishes  the 
church  with  a  new  message.  When  hherty  to 
prophesy  within  the  bosom  of  the  church  has  been 
denied,  sects  have  arisen.  The  church  has  forced 
prophetic  souls  to  separate  themselves  from  her 
communion  that  they  mij^ht  bear  witness  to  some 
neglected  truth.  15ut  she  is  growing  wiser.  She  is 
beginning  to  see  that  she  can  fuUill  her  tli\  ine  »nis- 
sion  more  effectively  by  union  than  by  division. 
Following  the  principle  of  comprehension,  she  is 
gathering  into  her  testimony  all  that  is  essential 
in  Chrstian  truth,  letting  everything  else  drop 
out.  She  is  beginning  to  accord  to  every  believer 
the  right  to  declare  the  things  which  he  has  seen 
and  heard;  she  is  learning  to  trust  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  not  to  be  afraid  lest  lie  contradict 
Himself  by  giving  in  Christian  consciousness  a 
revelation  which  will  be  out  of  harmony  with 
the  revelation  whii  ^  He  has  already  given  in  the 
Word. 

Eighteen  centuries  of  tutoring  hy  the  Holy 
Spirit  count  for  something.  His  tireless  effort 
to  teach  the  church  the  deeper  things  of  Christ 
begins  to  tell.  The  light  is  brightening  and  wid 
ening;  the  spiritual  quality  of  Christ's  teachings 
is  coming  to  be  appreciated ;  the  thought  of  the 
church  is  advancing  from  the  outward  to  the 
inward,  from  the  shell  of  truth  to  the  kernel,  from 

72 


! 


I 


A  Spiritual  Apprehension  of  Truth. 

the  bone  to  the  marrow,  fioai  iIk'  letter  to  the 
spirit.  Less  stress  is  hein^  put  upon  outward 
symbols  ami  more  upon  spiritual  facts;  the  value 
of  relij^ious  ordinances  is  bein^  placed  less  in  the 
mode  than  in  the  spirit  of  their  administration; 
salvation  is  beiiiLj  souj^ht  not  in  the  physical  blood 
of  the  Son  of  Ciod,  but  in  the  life  and  love  of 
which  that  l>lootl  was  the  expression;  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  is  cominj^  to  be  looked  upon  as  a 
spiritual  empire  founded  in  righteousness,  and  es- 
tablished by  the  operation  of  spiritual  forces  and 
the  bestowment  of  s[)iritual  rewar^ls.  The  Bible 
itself  is  coinin;4  to  be  taken  for  what  it  really  is,  a 
spiritual  book  which  isto  be  spiritually  interpreted. 
Its  spiritual  rather  tliau  its  literal  sense  is  coming 
to  be  accepted  as  generally  the  true  one.  There 
is  found  to  be  less  reas.)n  than  was  once  supposed 
to  exist  fi)r  modifyin;^  tlie  declaration  of  Sweden- 
borg  that  "  all  the  contents  of  Scripture  to  the  most 
minute  signify  things  heavenly  and  spiritual."* 
A[)proached  upon  the  spiritual  side,  tlieWonlof 
God  carries  conviction;  its  hidilen  teachings  are 
reached  bv  contemplation  rallier  tiian  convroversy  ; 
they  are  tested  i>v  tlie  heart  rather  than  by  the 
intellect ;  they  are  verilied  by  experience  rather 
than  by  demonstration.  \\  hat  does  the  Spirit- 
taught  man  care  about  ilestructive  criticism.''    He 


♦Arcana  Celestia,  W.'S:)  1401. 


73 


After  Pentecost,  What? 

knows  that  it  cannot  despoil  him  of  the  rich  har- 
vest which  his  spiritual  eye  has  gathered.  Being 
concerned  merely  with  things  external,  the  worst 
it  can  do  is  to  strip  some  of  the  dead  bark  from 
the  tree  of  revelation;  the  life  of  the  tree,  the 
essence  of  the  truth,  it  cannot  touch  or  harm.  The 
spiritual  element  in  truth  is  imperisiiahle.  The 
Bible  might  be  destroyed,  but  "the  incorruptible 
seed  of  the  wonl"  within  it  would  live  on  in  hu- 
man hearts, bringing  forth  fruit  unto  life  eternal. 
The  Spirit  of  God  comes  just  as  near  to  the 
Christians  of  to-day  as  He  did  to  the  prophets  of 
ancient  Israel,  Holy  men  of  to-day  speaky^;/- God 
amiyrof//  God  as  they  are  moved  by  the  Holy  Spir- 
it. Nor  are  they  animated  phonographs, but  living 
souls  speaking  in  the  language  of  man  the  mighty 
thoughts  of  God.  The  descent  of  the  Spirit  at 
Pentecost  was  explained  by  Peter  as  involving 
the  possession  by  the  church  of  the  prophetic  gift. 
"This  is  that  "  he  said,  "  which  hath  been  spoken 
by  the  prophet  Joel :  And  it  shall  be  in  the  last 
days,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  will  pour  forth  my 
Spirit  upon  all  llesh,  and  your  young  men  shall 
see  visions,  and  vour  old  men  shall  dream 
dreams;  yea,  and  upon  my  servants  and  upon 
my  handmaidens  in  those  days  will  I  pour 
forth  my  Spirit,  and  they  shall  prophesy. 
(Acts  ii.    17,  iS.)     No   new    prophetic  order   is 

74 


A  Spiritual  Apprehension  of  Truth. 


es 


\\ 


tablishetl,  but  that  blessed  condition  is  realized 
bich  Moses   lonj^ed    for,  when    He   exclaimed, 


^  Would    (iod    that    all    the    Lord's  people    were 


bets 


j)rop 


ant  an( 


(N 


unit).  XI. 


:<>)     Up 


lon   every  serv 


I   handmaiden   of    the    Lord    the    si)irit   of 
I    forth.      Does     that     imply 


prophecy    is   pourec 

that  all     receive  the  prophetic    -ift    i 


th 


e   same 


measure 


IJy 


no    means. 


There    are    those    to 


whom  the  proi)hetic  ^ift  is  ^ivcn  as  a  special  and 
distinctive   endowmen 
plays  as  important  a  par 


t.      The     modern    prophet 


t  in    the    history    <■ 


d    th( 


church  of   to-day  as 


the   ancient    prophet   did    in 


h    in 
1 


Israelitish  history.   He  may  not   be    as    nuic 
evidence  as  the  priest;  he  may  often  have  to  treac 
the  wine-press  alone;  but  he    is   the  real   leader 
and    reformer   of    the    church.      His    beaven-sent 
message  freshens  the   thought,  and    inspires    the 
life  of  his  times.    "Where  there    is  no  vision  the 
people  cast  off   restraint"   (Frov.    xxix.  i8),   be- 
cause religion  has  lost  its  power  over   them.    Ibit 
the  true  prophet,  uttering  anew    the    thought   of 
God,  awakens  as  with  a  trumpet   blast  the  slum- 
bering consciences  of  men.      He    punctures    ven- 
erated lies  that  he  may   conserve    the    truth;    he 
destroys  superstition  that  he  may  save  faith;    be 
re-opens  the  old  wells  which  the  priests  have  filled 
up  with   their   traditions,  that   the    living    water 
may  flow  forth  to  slake  the  thirst  of  the  perishing 

n 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


multitiKles.  The  pulpit  of  to-day  demands  proph- 
ets, not  priests.  It  iletnands  men  of  vision; 
men  who  Mke  lleinan  of  old  are  "  seers  in  the  word 
of  the  Lord"  (  i  Chron.  x\v.  5),  interpreters  to 
others  of  the  spiritual  meaniii"^  of  (Jctd's  word; 
men  of  insight  who  have  an  immediate  sense  of 
the  divine;  men  of  foresij^ht  wlio  look  upon 
thinjfs  from  (iods  point  of  view;  mrn  who 
can  declare,  "  The  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto 
me";  men  who,  because  they  are  hearers  of  a 
messaj^e  horn  of  the  Spirit,  speaU  with  authority 
and  not  as  the  scribes.  The  preacher  will  never 
lose  his  power  as  lonj^  as  he  is  a  true  prophet — 
a  chosen  interpreter  of  ( lod,  hrinirinjr  forth  from 
the  treasurediouse  of  (iocrs  truth  thinj^s  new 
and  old.  Reli_t;ious  hooks  will  he  read  as  lonj^ 
as  they  speakyo/-  the  iv^c  and  /o  the  aije,  and  hrin}^ 
fresh  messaf^es  from  the  .Spirit  of  Truth  to  those 
who  read  them.  The  world  is  standinj^  upon  the 
tip-toe  of  expectancy,  waitin;^  for  the  latest  word 
from  God.  It  keeps  lookin;^  up  witli  strainini; 
eyes  and  throbhin<(  heart  for  the  parlin<^  of  the 
clouds.  Never  was  its  cry  for  more  li^^ht  more 
importunate  than  to-day. 

When  man  looks  up  (»od  looks  down;  when 
man  listens  (iod  sjjeaks.  His  revelation  to  His 
children  is  not  yet  ended.  His  last  word  has  not 
been  spoken.      "He  is  not  dumb   that  He  should 

76 


A  Spiritual  Apprc'liuiision  of  Truth. 


speak  no  more."  Tlie  written  Wortl  is  closed 
ami  sealed,  l)Ut  His  toniinunication  to  man  still 
j^'oes  on.  I  lis  Sjjirit  is  not  shut  up  in  a  hook, 
hut  has  free  access  to  the  souls  of  men.  If  there 
is  any  truth  in  telepathy,  or  thou^^ht  transfer- 
ence; if  one  mind  can,  apart  from  the  ordinary 
means  of  intercourse,  inlluence  another  mind, 
projeclinjr  into  it  its  thouj^hts,  conveyinj^  to  it  its 
spiritual  treasures,  why  should  it  he  thouj^ht  a 
tiiin<^  incretlihle  that  the  Inlhiite  Mind  should 
communicate  itself  to  the  luiite  mind?  It  is  surely 
not  too  much  to  suppose  that  the  n  iie  hetween 
the  Spirit  of  (jod  and  the  spirit  of  man  is  no  more 
circuitous  than  the  route  hetween  one  human  spirit 
and  another.  The  harriers  tliat  stand  hetween 
man  and  (Jod,  do  not  stand  hetween  (iod  and  man. 
Xothiu"^  can  intercept  His  communications  save 
man's  unwillini^ness  to  receive  them.  The  in- 
flowin*^  of  His  jiersonality  into  man  is  direct; 
His  li^ht  shines  directly  into  the  soul.  His  voice 
is  heard  directly  in  the  heart.  He  speaks  to  every 
one  wlio  is  seekini^  after  tlie  truth,  just  as  truly 
as  He  spake  to  Ahraham  when  he  sat  hy  his 
tent-door  on  the  plains  of  Mamre;oras  He  spake 
to  Luther  when  he  crept  ))ainfully  upon  his 
lianils  and  Unccs  up  I'ilate's  staircase  in  Rome. 
Nor  is  He  speakin;^  throu<^h  the  inner  nature 
alone.      All  departments  of  knowledge  are   parts 

77 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


(if  His  revelation.     Nature,  science,  philosophy 

and  history  are  among  the  media  throuj^h   which 

the    many-voiced     Spirit    is     ntterini^     Himself. 

There  is  no  speech  nor  lan;^uage  where  His  voice 

is  not  heard. 

"The  word  liy  seers  and  siljyls  told 
In  uroves  of  oak,  or  fanes  of  gold. 
Still  llonts  upon  the  morning  wind, 
Still  whispers  to  the  willinK  mind; 
One  accent  of  the  Moly  Cihost 
The  hi-edless  world  hath  never  lost." 

The  world  will  not  willingly  allow    any    word 

of  the  Spirit  to  perish.    It  treasures  up  the  words 

of  seers  and  sil)\  Is  v.  Inch  often  contain  the  merest 


111 


od 


iciim  o 


f    truth,  words     which     are   "hroken 


lights,"  mere  whisperings  that  linger  on  the   air, 
or  voices  in  the  wilderness  that  die    awav  in   the 


eternal  silence  in  spite 


)f 


e\erv    effort  to    retain 


tlu-iii.  How  much  more  then  oughl  it  to  prize 
the  louder,  clearer  note  of  the  Spirit  given  in  that 
Hook  which  is  to  tiu-  .Spirit  what  the  church  is 
to  Christ,  His  body,  the  organ  of  His  self-man- 
ifes*ation!  Here  we  ha\  e  the  most  complete  em- 
hodiment  of  His  mind,  the  most  comjilete  un- 
veiling of  the  spiritual ;  here  an  e\  eriasting  and  in- 
fallible witness  is  borne  to  the  facts  which  make  for 
Mian's  salvation ;  here  truths  are  implanted  which 
contain  within  themselves  the  potency  of  an  end- 
less development;  here  spiritual  jirinciples  are 
enshrined  which  are  to  bind   the  countless   forms 

7S 


A  Spiiilua!  Apprehension  of  Truth. 

of  triitl)  in  an  all-cmliraciii^  unity  and  harniony. 
May  the  lilcsscd  Spirit,  who,  anticipatinfi  our 
nt'cds,  has  hiid  up  for  us  thi-sc  houndlcss  treasures 
of  truth,  teach  us  how  to  find  them.  With  souls 
tremulous  to  II is  slightest  touch;  with  souls  that 
/(v/llie  truth  as  artists  feel  color;  wiih  souls  that 
respond  to  the  music  of  the  heavenly  spheres  as 
the  piano  j,Mves  hack  the  note  struck  hy  another 
musical  instrument,  may  we  wait  with  hushed 
hearts  for  the  fuller  revehition  yet  to  come,  look- 
inj^  from  the  Word  before  us,  to  the  world  around 
us,  and  the  soul  within  us,  and  the  heaven  above 
us,  exclaiming,  "  Speak,  Lord,  for  thy  servant 
hearcth." 


79 


CHAPTER  VI. 

AN   INKI.UX  t)l-    SI'IKiriAI.    MKK. 

"If  the  Holy  Spirit  were  withdrawn,  the  Christ  would  be 
absent  and  of  none  effect  to  us.  Hut  if  the.  Holy  Spirit  is 
present  and  active  in  us,  we  dwell  in  the-  full  flood  of  the 
light  and  of  the  life  of  God,  and  of  His  Cluist  " 

A    A    Hoi«;h,  D  D 

Ar  PcDtccoHt  tliL't'L'  was  a  lU'W  oiiUlow  .)f  life 
from  tlie  life-,!j;ivin<,f  Sj)iril;  a  inw  discc-nt  of  the 
(iiviiie  into  the  human.  A  reserxoir  of  rreative 
encr<(y  whicli  had  lieeii  held  in  re.serve  was 
opened;  inlUieiices  which  had  hitherto  distilled 
as  dew  were  poured  out  in  a  mi;^htv  (lood, 
inundatin}^  and  fcrtili/injf  the  entire  moral  world. 
A  dispensation  of  spiri^iud  plenitude  was  in- 
a'jf^urated  ;  a  thrill  of  new  life  shot  thronj^h  the 
world's  heart, arousing  the  spiritual  natin-e  of  man 
from  its  lon;^  dormancN' ;  a  reli;4;ioiis  awal-;enin^, 
a  religious  revival,  or  what  Delit/.sch  calls  "a  new 
creative  hcginning,"  took  ]il.ui',  start in;^'  a  new 
evolutionarv  process,  and  Itrinj^in^f  in  the  summer- 
time of  the  world's  histor\. 

This  larpjer  life  which  the  Holv  Spirit  hrinj^s 
into  men  is  tlic  life  which  C'lirist  broii<;lit  down 
from  heaven.  "  1  am  come,"  says  Christ,  "  that  ye 
might  have  life,  and  that  ye  might  have   it   more 

bo 


I 


An  Influx  of  Spiritual  Life. 

abundantly."  Ho  came  to  .i^i\c  to  men  a  richer, 
deeper,  diviner  lih'  ;lian  thev  luid  vet  possessed; 
]Ie  came  to  impart  unto  tliem  the  unsearehahlc 
riches  of  His  own  atlluent  life;  He  came  to  com- 
municate Himself  to  them  throu_<,di  the  agency  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  whose  ottice  it  is  to  hrin;,'  men 
into  vital  connection  witli  Him.  When  the  Holy 
S])irit  succeeds  in  i^eltin::^  the  thcni^^ht  of  any  soul 
llxeil  upon  Christ,  tlie  life  of  Christ  is  poured 
into  that  soul  in  a  steady  tlood,  and  becomes  a 
gulf  streiim  that  converts  a  barren,  ice-l)()und  waste 
into  a  goodly  and  fruitful  laiul.  When  Christ  is 
known  He  is  loved;  and  wiien  lie  is  loved  He 
possesses  the  soul  comi)letely,  makinj^  its  sluf:jjj;ish 
pulses  throb  with  ne.v  life,  eMer^Mzin<r  it  with 
new  power,  anil  liftin;jj  it  up  into  sympathy  with 
his  far-reachinf^  purpose  of  redenqition.  No  one 
really  knows  what  it  is  to  li\e  until  the  Holy 
Spirit  makes  Christ  live  in  Him.  "He  that  hath 
t!ie  .Son,"  wluun  tlie  .Spirit  mal-.i-s  known,  "  liath 
life;  true  life;  life  that  is  worthy  of  the  name  of 
life;  life   that    is    "life    indee.i." 

That  the  abundant  life  which  He  came  to  be- 
stow is  administered  by  the  IIolv  .Spirit,  Jesus 
Himself  expressly  declared  when  on  the  last  dav 
of  tiic  feast  of  tabernacles  He  stood  in  the 
temple,  and  cried,  sayinj^:  "H  any  man  thirst 
let    him    come    unto    me    and     drink.      He    that 

8i 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


bclicvclli  on  inc,  as  tlic  Scripture  hath  said, 
from  within  him  shall  tli)\v  rivers  of  livinjjj  water. 
This  spake  He  of  the  Spirit  which  they  that  he- 
lievc  on  Ilim  were  to  receive,  for  tlie  Spirit  was 
not  yet  ^i\  en, because  JesU'-  was  not  vet  ij;lorifie(l." 
(John  \ii.  37.)  The  e.\])lanaliir\  note  liere  added 
by  John  to  the  words  of  Jesus  makes  il  clear  that 
the  intlowinLj  and  outilowiiii;  lift.' of  the  Ik;!  vta" 
was  looked  upon  as  connected  in  liie  mind  (/  ■'  .us 
with  the  coming  of  the  promised  Spirit.  The  cor- 
rect reinlerinj^  of  John's  statement  isthat"llie 
Holy  Spirit  was  not  vet."  What  does  he  mean? 
The  Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet  "lome  in,"  says 
Alford;  the  Holy  .Spirit  was  not  yet  "  here,"  says 
Luther;  the  Holy  Spirit  was  not  vet  '  jircsent," 
says  Mever.  'J'here  is  no  denial  of  the  essential 
existence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  nor  of  His  presence 
in  Jesus,  nor  of  Hisajrcncy  in  the  Old  Tislament. 
It  is  not  meant  that  before  this  time  He  was  not 
present  in  any  measure,  but  that  before  this  time 
He  was  not  present  in  the  f'dlness  of  his  over- 
flowing power.  Pentecost  was  not,  as  Augus- 
tine puts  it, ''the  birthday  of  the  Holv  .Spirit";  if 
was  rather  the  dav  of  His  majority,  tlie  dav  when 
He  entered  into  possession  of  His  inheritance.  His 
bright  prophetic  foreglow  had  tipped  with  light 
the  solitary  mountain  peaks,  illuminating  a  soul 
here  and  there;  now  an  unsetting  sun  had  arisen 

82 


' 


An  i'lflux  of  Spiritual  Life. 

from  lii'liiiHl  flu-  hori/oiijiloodinj^  tlic  woild  with 
lij^ht.      !•". veil  lii'foiT   llic:  days  of  Noali,    wlieii  he 
strove  witli  till.'   aiili(li!uviaiis,  llic  Spirit   of  God 
liad  hc'c'ii  cniniii;^-  into  touch  witi)    iiiiniaii    hearts, 
}^i\in<r    earnests    of  eoniii)^M)lcssiiig ;     but  these 
preliminary   mo\  inv;s  upon    tlie  children  of    men 
were  Init  tlie   hidings   of  His  power,  and  are  not 
to  he  spoken  of    in    comparison    with    what   took 
place    at  Pentecost    when  the    Sj)irit  was    "shed 
forth  abundantly."     The  reason  j^iven  why  "the 
Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet,"  is,  "because  that  Jesus 
was  not  ^•et  j^lorilied."    I'ntil    c^lorified,  until    his 
nietliatorial    work  was  completed  by  his  ascension 
into  <,Mory,  this  new  efilux  of  the  Spirit's  life-f^iv- 
in<^   jiower   could    not  take    place.      The    Spirit's 
coming  was  to  be  conditioned   upor.  the  Savior's 
f^oinj^;  tile   Spirit's   outp'ourin;^    was    to    be    the 
j)roof  that  lie  had  vantpiished  death  and  had   as- 
cended to   His  native    heaven.      Until  Jesus   was 
•^lorilied  the  Spirit  could  not    be    present    in    the 
particular  form  releried  to,  ;is  the    Spirit    of    tl.e 
}j;lorilied  Christ, abidinj^  in  the  lieart  of  the  believer 
as  an  upspriii'j  iii;^  fountain  of  life.    lb'  could    not 
^i\e  to  nun  tlu'    life-^^ivm^'    water    until     it    was 
fnniislu<l  l>v  CTirist,  and  it  could  not  lu'  furnished 
by  Christ  ur.til  lli' was  <_;l()ritied.    Siiui'  the  com- 
pletion of  the  eartldv   W(uk  of    Christ   the  Spirit 
operates  upon    men    in    a    new   way;   He  reaches 

«3 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


them  liy  a  new  road;  lie  pours  His  life  into  I'uin 
aloiijjj  a  iK'W  channel,  iiy  presentinj;'  to  tiieni 
"the  things  of  Christ"  lie  inHiiences  tlu'iii  as  He 
never  eouKl  do  l)efore.  Tliat  Christ  should  he 
prominent  in  their  thou<^hts,  that  they  should  con- 
sciously draw  tiieir  spiritual  life  from  Him,  is  as 
the  Spirit  would  have  it;  for  when  Christ  is 
received  He  is  received,  and  workinj^  through 
Christ  He  ij;ains  an  ahiding  and  controlling  in- 
fluence in  their  lives. 

In  this  new  ..iflux  of  life  all  Christians  share. 
The  Spirit  of  the  glorified  Christ  which  was  given 
for  the  first  time  at  his  ascension  is  "the  Spirit 
which  they  that  believe  in  Him  were  to  receive." 
It  is  given  to  all  believers,  in  all  the  world,  to 
the  end  of  time.  It  is  "the  one  Spirit"  of  which 
all  Cliristians  drink.  There  is  no  monopoly 
of  the  Spirit.  There  is  no  special  experien-.e  of 
His  indwelling  and  inworking  which  differs  in 
any  essential  respect  from  His  operations  which 
are  coniiiion  to  all  l)clievers.  The  llrsl  fruits  of 
the  Spir.'l  arc  the  same  in  kind  as  the  full  har- 
vest. " 'i'he  earnest  of  tlie  .Spirit"  is  the  same 
in  kind  as  tiie  complete  inheritance.  It  is  part 
payment  made  in  coin  of  the  same  standard  value 
as  that  in  wliicli  the  full  ))a\  ment  is  fo  be  made. 
It  differ-  from  the  corning  fullness,  ot  whiih 
it  is  the  pledge  or  token, only  in  <legree.    There  is 

84 


An  Intlux  of  Spiritual  Life. 

a  unity  in  Christian  cxperieiire  wliich  many  have, 
failed  to  discern.  Hecause  of  this  failure,  crude, 
extrava<^ant  thinj^s  h;ue  heen  spoken  and  written 
ree:ardin"f  "  the  hit-her  Christian  life."  Christian 
life  is  the  life  of  Christ  ministered  hy  the  Spirit, 
and  no  higher  life  than  that  is  p(issihk'.  It  is 
the  highest  life.  An  increased  measure  of  tliat 
life  may  be  obtained,  liut  nothin<j  superior  can 
ever  be  obtained.  All  that  is  possible  is  a  more 
abinulant  siijiply  of  wlu't  is  already  possessed,  u 
fuller  1/aptIsm  of  the  life  which  enswathes  the 
soul, a  deeper  (lrau<^ht  of  thelivint^  water  at  which 
our  thirst  has  heen  slaivcd,  a  more  copious  shower 
from  tin-  low-bending  clouds  out  of  which  a  few 
prophetic  drops  have  alreadv  fallen.  No  ad\ance- 
ment  can  be  mad.'  in  tlie  kind  or  qnalitv  of  our 
spiritual  life,  but  ^reat  advancement  can  be  made, 
ou^ht  to  be  made,  in  the  extent  of  its  possession. 
The  prayer,  "  ^'et  mo*"e,  O  m\  (jod,  vet  more," 
offered  by  Xa\  ier  before  settint^  out  for  Kome 
upon  his  missiunar\-  labors  in  the  East,  is  one 
which  c\erv  Christian  ouf^ht  conlinualh  to  i.ffer. 
!More  life,  more  of  the  breath  of  ( iod,  more  of  the 
heart  of  Christ,  more  of  llie  .Spirit's  power, every 
Christian  needs. 

Jesus  haviii;^^  been  i^loriiled,  and  His  ascension 
j^ift  haviufjj  been  bestowed,  the  one  thint^  neces- 
sary to  its  enjovment  is  that  it  be  received.    After 

^^5 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


Jesus  was  L;l()rilicd  lie  lircathcd  upon  His  disci- 
ples and  said,  "Receive  ye  the  Holy  Spirit." 
Aft' r  He  was  ^doritled  the  apostles  proclaimed 
ih  •  ■•l;d  evaiiij;el,  "  Repent  and  lie  baptized  every 
one  of  you  in  tlie  name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  {^ift  of 
the  Holy  Spirit."  (Acts  ii.  38.)  Because  tlie 
Holy  S))irit  has  been  <;i  veil  it  is  possible  to  receive 
Him;  and  because  He  has  been  <j^iven  in  fullness 
it  is  possible  to  receive  Him  in  fullness.  The  full- 
ness that  dwells  in  Him  is  not  (jnly  for  all  believ- 
ers witbout  distinction  or  exception  ;  it  is  also  for 
all  believers  without  restriction  or  limitation. 
The  Spirit  is  not  ^i\  en  in  a  more  attenuated  form 
and  in  a  scantier  measure  in  the  present  dav,  than 
He  was  ^Mven  in  the  apostolic  da\  s ;  a;iil  deejily 
do  we  wron<^  Him,  if  bv  a  painful  contrast  be- 
tween His  plenteousness  an<l  our  })overtv  we  prt)- 
liuce  the  impression  upon  otliers  that  He  is  deal- 
in<(  ni<^'';_jardly  witb  u--.  If  we  receive  sparingly, 
tbe  fault  is  ()ur>,  not  His.  We  have  not  because 
we  asl>  not;  we  ha\e  little  because  we  take  in 
little.  From  tbe  ocean  'f  fullness  of  His  <^race, 
wliitli  (.(iiilains  an  inalienable  sup]ily  for  ail,  it  is 
our  pri\ile^i  [n  diaw  initil  tlu're  is  nothing  to 
desire,  and  we  are  compelled  tu  cr\-  (jut  with  John 
Fletclu-r  of  Madelex,  "()  Lord,  either  enlarj^e 
the  vessel  or  wiliidi.iw  Thy  Spirit."     We  are  not 

86 


* 


An  Influx  of  Spiritual  Life. 

straitened  in  the  Lord,  but  always  in  ourselves, 
'riie  {[uestion  of  tlie  ])roi)liet,  "OThou  that  art 
named  the  house  of  Jaeoh,  is  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  straitened?"  (Mitah  ii.  7),  carries  with  it 
its  own  answer.  it  i.^  always  (jod's  way  to  pro- 
\  ide  more  than  we  can  use.  In  tlie  natural  world 
lie  has  j^ixen  us  a  water  supply  that  we  can  never 
ixhaust;  lie  has  ^ivcn  suidit;ht  for  a  thousand 
worlds  like  this;  lie  has  stored  u])  an  almost 
illiiiiitahle  suppL'  of  electrical  power  \\  liich  we 
are  just  he^^innin;^  to  tap;  lie  has  held  in  reserve 
new  forces  which  we  are  just  l)ei,nnniM;4  to  dis- 
(over.  1 1  is  supplies  are  alwavs  ahead  of  our  ne- 
cessities. So  in  ihe  spiritual  world  oidv  a  small 
portion  of  what  has  been  prov  ided  is  hein^  used 
U|).  The  resounes  placed  at  our  disposal  do  iiot 
Ljrow  less,  however  fnrlv  we  xnny  draw  upon 
them.  They  are  hottoude--^,  thev  are  int'inite, 
they  are  eternal.  What  follv,  then,  to  remain 
po\erty-strickcn,  ami  li\e  poor,  pinched,  hun^er- 
liitten  li\es  when  ihiri.-  are  un-^earchahk' riclu's  at 
our  connnand  I  W'hv  he  content  to  eat  of  the  crumhs 
which  fall  from  the  ^Ia^tl•r's  table,  when  it  is  our 
|)rivilene,  as  ib.e  friends  of  the  Kin;^,  to  sit  at  His 
board  and  eiijov  tlu-  bountiful  bauciuet  which  lie 
has  prepari'dr  Why  remain  in  a  condition  of  spir- 
itual pauperi'^m,li  vin;4  a  hand -to- uk  ait  h  sort  of  life, 
expciidinj^  all  our   stren}.;lh    in   the   effort   to  keep 

»7 


After  Pentecost,  Wiiat? 


ourselves  alive,  when  the  invitation  is  somidinjj 
in  our  ears,  "Eat  ye  that  which  is  j^ood,  and  let 
your  soul  delij^ht  itself  in  fatness"?  Why  he  sat- 
isfied to  suck  a  few  dioi)s  of  refreshnient  from 
the  shrunken  wine-skins  of  a  formal  faith,  when 
we  mav  come  to  the  fountain  of  life  and  drink  our 
fill?  What  is  reciiiired  is  not  an  increased  supply, 
hut  an  increased  capacitv  of  sjjiritual  reception? 
Xothin<:(  could  l)e  more  )Ut  of  place  than  the 
praver:  "Lord,  incicasi-  our  supplies."  ;\nd 
ni)thint(  could  he  more  in  place  than  the  prayer, 
"Lord,  increase  our  faith." 

To  he  "  tilled  with  the  Spirit"  is  not  only  a 
pri\  ilej^e,  it  is  a  duty.  The  blessed  imperative, 
"Tj  not  drunken  with  wine  wherein  is  riot,  hut 
be  tilled  with  tile  Spirit"  (Lph.  v.  i>S),  carries 
with  it  the  im[)lication  that  every  Christian  is 
under  oblij^alion  to  surrender  himself  to  the 
.Spirit,  allowinj^  Him  to  lake  entire  possession  of 
him;  conlr(jllin<^  him  in  intellect,  heart  and  will, 
in   bodv,   soul   and    spirit,   as   completelv    as   the 


Irunkaro    is   controilci 


hv    v.me. 


It 


IS   not  im- 


plietl,  howcvi'r,  that  tiic  Spirit-tilled  man  will  be 
intoxicated  with  the  S[iirit,  lliat  the  slimulatinpf 
and  exhilarating;  effett  of  a  deep  drau<^ht  of  the 
Spirit  will  make  him  excited  and  iiilarious,  caus- 
in<^  him  to  upset  the  rules  of  social  propriety. 
His  stren<rth  mav  be  as  the   stren<rth  of   ten,  but 

88 


An  Influx  of  Spiritual  Life. 

it  will  l>e  uiukr  proper  direction  and  restraint, 
and  it  will  lie  expended  in  the  daily  round  of  or- 
dinary duties  more  than  in  tlu  performiuiee  of 
occasional  spectacular  deeds.  I'lie  fullness  of  the 
Spirit  is  not  alwavs  accompanied  with  outward 
demonslralion.  It  is  often  "a  tide  too  full  for 
sound  or  foam."  Kaj)tni7)ns  emotions  lulon;^  to 
certain  types  of  tem|)erament,  aixl  are  not  of  the 
essence  of  spiritual  life  itself.  A  dramatic  ex- 
perience which  mi;4iit  he  natural  to  one  would  he 
unnatural  to  others.  To  most  the  Spirit  comes 
as  a  5^entle  influence  perineal  n^  tlie  whole  life 
as  the  sun  permeates  the  earth  in  s|)rin^,  .\n  old 
ni'i^ro  auntie,  who  had  come  into  this  deeper  ex- 
perience, said  :  "  ^'ou  NounLj'uns  make  too  much 
noise  with  your  L^lor\-  and  your  haleiu.  When 
yon  t^et  the  real  L;race,  and  the  real  L;lory,  you 
will  he  quiet  and  peacedike,  ju^t  as  if  yon  were 
in  the  stalile  of  I'elhlelu'm  and  the  mother  had 
^iyen  you  the  sl(.'e[)inLC  hahe  to  hold."  Many 
haye  still  to  he  reminded  that  religions  hysterics 
are  no  s[)ccial  si^n  of  ^raie.  In  an  a'.uient  parahle 
it  is  said  :  "  The  Lord  passed  hs'  and  a  ^rcal  and 
strong'  w  iuti  ri-nt  the  mountain<,and  lii\il^t'  in  jiiet'es 
the  rocks  hefore  the  Lord,  hut  the  l.urd  \ya^  not  in 
the  wind;  and  after  the  wind  an  earthipiake,  hut 
the  Lord  was  not  in  the  earthquake;  and  after  the 
earthcpiake  a  lire,  hut    the    Lord    was    not    in  the 

89 


After  rentecost.  VVhair 


fire ;  and  after  the  fire  a  sound  of  ireiitle  stillness. 


(1  Kin^sxix.  II.)  \\  lu  II,  on  tile  day  of  1  ente- 
eosl,  the  disciples  "  were  llllrd  with  jo)  ami  with 
the  Holy  Spirit,"  it  is  not  straiii^e  that  in  the  first 
impulse  of  their  new  liorn  eiilhusiasin  thev  j^ave 
way  to  loud  oiiliireakin^s  of  praise.  l>ut  there 
is  no  evidence  tiiat  thev  were  carried  off  their  feet 
hy  a  whirlwind  of  ecstasy.  Some  of  the  ondooUers 
mockinj^lv  cliar;;e(l  them  with  heiiiLj  druiiU  with 
iH'W  wiiR';  not,  how  ix  I'r,  hciause  of  tluir  hol\  iii 
laritv,hiit  soleI\  hecause  the  t^ospel  messa;;e,  w  liic  h 
tliey  j)roclaimed  in  a  \arietv  of  toiit^fues, sounded  to 
them  liUe  iinmeanin;^  jari^oii.  The  dei'peiiin^^  of 
life  always  hrin^s  the  deepeninj^  of  joy.  It  is  a 
sure  e\  ideiice  that  life  has  been  redeemed  from 
littleness  when  its  happiness  is  drawn,  not  from 
surface  thin^^s,  but  from  tiie  deep  fountain  of  di- 
vine hfe  opened  up  within  the  soul.  'I'hose  who 
recei\e  tlie  Sjiirit's  fullness  are  satisfied  from 
themselves.  A  new  source  of  blessedness  has 
been  found;  their  liearts  well  up  and  run  over 
with  holv  gladness;  their  sorrow  is  turned  into 
joy,  their  tears  into  smiles,  their  si^hs  into  sonj^s, 
their  nit;ht  into  dav.  Festal  robes  arc  in  order; 
for  in  the  cominj^^  of  the  Spirit  the  iuide^rooin 
is  restored,  and  thev  ;^n-eatlv  rejoice  hecause  of 
His  voice.  IJut  theirs  is  a  (juiet  and  chastened 
joy.      They  "rejoice  with  trembling."    They  ex- 

90 


An  Influx  of  Spiritual  Life. 


pre 


ss    tlu-ir    irratcful    lovf    in    tliaiiksliv  iiiir  ovti 


more  than  m  thaiiks<^iviM<;. 


Thuv  cannot  affoiil 


to  waste  their  joyous    emotions    in  pious  ejacula- 
tions, lint  wisely  save  tlieni  up    that  they  may  he 


con\  erted  into  motive  ixiwei 


fortl 


le  production  o 


f 


works. 


Th 


o\'  o 


f  tl 


le 


-ord    i>     (heir 


strenj^th";  it  is  their  ^lii'iiL^th  for  service,  it  puts 
iron  into  the  Mood,  in\  i;4oratin^  their  fla^^'^in;,' 
enerj^ies  and  enahlin;;  them  to  scale  with  elastic 
and  nnfalterin<^  ste|)  the  steep  mountain  path  of 
self-deny in<(  toil  that  rises  up  hefore   them. 

In  the  case  of  the  disciples  at  I'entecost  the  re- 
ceivinj^  of  the  fullness  of  the  Spirit  was  as  sudden 
as  1 1  is  coming.  There  was  a  j^reat  chnid-hurst ; 
floods  \\  ere  poured  uiion  the  drv  ground  ;  the  souls 
of  the  waitiii'^,  pravin;^  hand  in  the  u|)per  room 
were  lilled  hy  a  mi<^hty  inrush  Hut  this  is  not 
the  normal  way.  The  outpoured  Spirit  is  now 
present  in  the  heart  as  a  secret  sprin<^  whose 
waters  never  cease  to  How,  and  from  Ilim  fresh 
accessions  of  life  are  daily,  hourly,  and  Jiiomen- 
tarily  received.  Life  comes  to  its  fullness  in  tlu 
soul  as  it  comes  to  its  fullness  in  nature.  After  a 
lati-  sprinj^  there  is  sometimes  an  unexpected 
hurst  of  new  life,  and  leaves  and  hlos<oms  make 
tlu-ir  appearance  at  a  sinj^le  hound  ;  hut  i^enerally 
the  fullness  of  summer  life  is  reached  by  p^radual 
and    orderly    stajjjes.      Alike    in   the  natural  anil 

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After  I'cntecost,  What? 

spiritual  kinj^donis  the  normal  method  of  de- 
velopment is  that  of  gradual  growth:  "  first  the 
blade,  then  the  ear,  after  that  the  full  corn  in  the 
ear." 

Come  as  it  may,  suddenly  or  gradually,  this 
fullness  of  life  from  the  Spirit  tills  the  vessel  of 
being  to  the  brim  with  every  nee<led  grace.  The 
Spirit  is  an  all-inclusive  gift.  To  be  filled  with  the 
Spirit  is  to  be  "filled  with  power,"  to  be  "filled 
with  wisdom,"  to  be  "  filled  with  the  knowledge  of 
God's  will,"  to  be  "filled  with  all  the  fullness  of 
God."  Over  against  human  emptiness  the  Spirit's 
abundance  is  placed.  The  blessings  which  He 
conveys  are  as  numerous  and  as  varied  as  human 
needs.  "  He  is  able  to  make  all  grace  abound  unto 
us,  that  we,  having  all  sufficiency  in  everything, 
may  abound  unto  every  good  work."  Those  who 
receive  His  abounding  grace  are  fitted  for  any 
undertaking  to  which  they  may  be  called.  The 
(qualifications  of  Stephen  for  the  ofiice  of  deacon 
were  that  he  was  "a  good  man,  and  full  of  the 
Holy  Sp.rit";  the  secret  of  Peter's  power  in 
preaching  was  that  "he  was  filled  with  the  Holy 
Spirit";  the  reason  why  the  disciples  "  spake  the 
word  with  boldness"  was  that  "they  were  all 
filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit";  so  in  like  manner 
the  one  fact  which  explains  every  rich  and  royal 

92 


An  Inllux  of  Spiritual  Life. 


life  in  which  {^ood  works  abound, is  that  the  Spirit 
has  been  received  in  fullness.      Every  Spirit-filled 
life  is  a  life  that  overflows  into  other  lives;  it  is 
a  life  that  is  given  back  to  God  as  a  free-will  offer- 
iiiLC,  to  be  consumed  upon    love's  altar  in  daily 
sacrilice    for  others.      The    Spirit  fills  the  heart 
with  <,fenerous  deeds;  lie  widens  the  horizon  of 
spiritual  vision  that  lie   may   enlarge  the  sphere 
of  bfe's  aims;  He  broadens  the  social  sympathies 
tliat  He  may  increase   the   sweep  of  life's  activi- 
ties; He  creates  a  race  of  Greatllearts  who  burst 
asunder  the  fetters  of  race  prejudice  and  sectional 
selfishness,  and  embracing  in  their  affections  the 
whole  of  human    kind,  make   the   scope  of  their 
ministry  as  wide  as  God's  mercy.      If  any  life  is 
narrow  and  selfish,  barren  and  unfruitful,  it  may 
be   taken  for   granted    that   the   place    which  the 
Holy  Spirit  occupies   in  it  is  a  very  small   one. 
Where  there  is  little  practical  outcome  in  the  life 
there  has  been   but  little    incoming  of  the  Spirit 
into  the  heart.      What  is  given  out  will  always 
be  in  equal  ratio  with   what   has  been    taken    in. 
Outflow  and  inflow  will  always  correspond.  When 
the  Spirit's  power  is  but  feebly  felt,  service  will 
come   hard;  when   the   heart   is  filled    with   His 
power,  service  will  be  a  delight.    Raise  the  mill- 
gate  and  the  water  will  rush  out  of  the  dam,  fill- 

93 


After  Pentecost,  What? 

injr  the  empty  flume,  and  driving  the  machinery 
oAhe  mill.  Get  the  heart  filled  with  the  Spirit 
and  there  will  he  ahundance  of  motive  power  to 
drive  all  the  machinery  of  Christian  work. 


94 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  SPIRITUAL  MAN. 

"Rivers  to  the  ocean  run, 

Nor  stay  in  all  their  course; 
Fire,  ascending,  seeks  the  sun; 

Both  speed  them  to  their  source. 
So  a  soul  that's  born  of  God, 

Pants  to  view  His  gloriuus  face, 
Upward  tends  to  His  abode 
To  rest  in  His  embrace. " 

R.  Seagravh. 

In  harmony  \  »"th  the  law  of  evolution,  the 
coming'  of  the  Spirit  led  to  the  coming  of  the 
si^iritual  man.  The  hest  never  come?  first.  The 
highest  types  are  the  latest  born.  Nature's  no- 
blest offspring  is  always  the  last.  As  in  nature 
there  were  prophetic  types  which  proclaiined  the 
coming  of  the  natural  man,  so  in  the  spiritual 
world  there  were  prophetic  types  which  pro- 
claimed the  coming  of  the  spiritual  man.  It 
would  be  absurd  to  assert  that  prior  to  Pentecost 
spiritually  minded  men  did  not  exist;  all  that  is 
maintained  is  that  at  Pentecost  a  higher  stage  of 
development  in  the  spiritual  ascent  of  man  was 
reached.  A  new  creative  epoch  lirought  in  a 
new  religious  type,  which  is  designated  "the 
spiritual  man."  Among  the  characteristics  of 
this  new  type  of  man  are  the  following: 

95 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


I .  The  spiritual  man  is  a  man  possessed  by 
the  Spirit.  lie  is  contrasted  with  "the  nutural 
man,"  who  is  descrihc'l  as  a  man  "having  not 
the  Spirit."  (Judc  19.)  He  is  also  contrasted 
with  the  pre-pentecostal  saint,  who  is  a  man 
whose  heart  God  has  touched,  l)iil  who  is  not 
"married  to  the  Spirit."  lie  is  a  Spirit-led,  a 
Spirit-governed  man;  permeated  and  suffused 
hy  the  Spirit,  one  willi  Ilim  in  all  things,  speak- 
inj^'  and  acting  as  he  is  moved   hy  llim. 

Man  has  a  hody,  hut  he  is  a  spirit  -  a  spirit  in 
prison.  Call  him  an  animal  if  you  will,  but  re- 
member that  he  is  a  spiritual  animal ;  and  remem- 
ber also  that  the  differentiating  element  in  him 
is  not  the  animal  but  the  spiritual  part.  In  his 
innermost  nature  he  is  allied  to  the  spiritual  king- 
dom. For  that  kingdom  he  was  made,  to  that 
kingdom  he  properly  belongs,  and  in  that  king- 
dom he  ought  to  live.  When  he  takes  his  place 
on  the  animal  plane,  and  lives  an  animal  life,  he 
falls  below  his  better  self,  and  comes  short  of 
the  high  destiny  to  which  his  spiritual  nature 
calls  him.  According  as  he  yields  su|)remacy  to 
the  lower  or  the  higher  part  of  his  nature  he 
sinks  to  an  animal  man,  or  rises  to  a  spiritual 
man. 

Man  is  built  up  tier  upon  tier.  At  the  bottom 
is  the  llesh,  the  earth  principle  which  he  receives 

96 


The  Spiritual  Man. 


from  the  dust  of  the  ground,  and  which  was  or- 
ijrinally  good,  but,  having  been  degraded  by  the 
fall,  it  is  now  the  part  from  which  the  strongest 
temptations  spring.  Above  that  is  the  soul,  or 
life  principle,  which  he  has  in  common  with  the 
animals,  and  by  which  he  is  united  to  the  lower 
creation.  At  the  top  is  the  spirit,  which  he  has 
in  common  with  higher  beings,  and  which  con- 
nects him  in  kinship  with  God.  According  as 
he  lives  in  one  part  of  his  nature  more  than  in 
another  he  is  designated  carnal,  natural, or  spirit- 
ual. If  the  Hesh  contpiers,  and  he  slavishly  obeys 
the  solicitations  of  his  lower  nature,he  is  a  carnal 
man.  If  neither  the  ilesh  nor  the  spirit  decidedly 
prevails,  but  the  life  of  the  soul  holds  away;  if, 
in  short,  he  allows  himself  to  be  acted  upon 
througli  the  outer,  sensuous  world  without  reearti 
to  the  higher  world  of  spirit,  and  centers  all  his 
interest  in  the  world  of  sense,  he  is  a  natural,  a 
psychical, a  soul-governed, an  unspiritual  man  ;  but 
if,  through  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit  of  God, 
the  spirit  conquers  the  flesh  with  all  its  appetites 
and  passions,  so  that  flesh  is  no  longer  his  life-cle- 
ment; if,  in  tine,  he  is  ruled  from  the  center  to 
the  circumference  of  his  being  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
of  God,  whom  he  has  received  as  his  renewer 
anil  sanctilier,  he  is  a  spiritual   man. 

Hut    the    natural    man,  while    destitute   of   the 

97 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


Spirit,  is  not  destitute  of  a  spirit.  He  is?  simply 
spiritually  utuleveloped.  He  has  not  come  to 
spirittial  consciousness.  His  spiritual  nature  is 
asleep,  and  his  intellectual  and  animal  natures 
only  are  awake.  The  hi<;l)er  life  enj^ermed  with- 
in him  lies  dormant,  heinj:?  unvivilied  hy  the 
Spirit  of  God.  The  spiritual  nature  beinj^  the 
hij^hest,  the  coronal  part,  the  part  that  is  nearest 
heaven,  it  is  the  part  that  is  touched  first  ''y  the 
Spirit  of  God;and  the  power  which  ,.om<.s  down 
for  man's  rej^eneralion  passes  from  ilto  the  soul, 
from  the  soul  to  the  body,  sanctifyintj  the  entire 
nature  of  man.  The  power  that  destroys  works 
from  below  upwards ;  the  jiower  that  saves  works 
from  above  downwards.  When  the  Spirit  of 
God  gains  a  footing  in  the  spirit  of  man  there  is 
no  part  of  his  complex  nature  to  which  His  heal- 
ing, saving  power  does  not  extend. 

2.  The  spiritual  man  is  a  man  xvho  has  gained 
the  mastery  over  the  material.  He  lives  a  life  of 
aloofness.  He  pursues  "desires  whose  purpose 
does  not  end  in  time."  He  is  in  the  world,  but 
the  world  is  not  in  him.  Outward  things  do  not 
dominate  his  life;  they  do  not  crush  the  manhood 
out  of  him.  His  spirit  is  not  earth-bound;  it  is 
not  chained  down  to  this  terrestrial  ball.  He  is 
the  Lord's  free  man  ;  the  world  is  beneath  his  feet ; 
the  body  is  kept  under;  the  spirit  is  on  the  top; 

98 


The  Spiritual  Man. 

the  animal  sensuous  life  is  subordinated  to  the 
spiritual  Hfe;  the  animal  and  sensuous  powers, 
instead  of  being  consumed  in  the  gratification  of 
lawless  desires,  are  conserved  for  higher  uses  in 
the  spiritu;'  sphere.  He  is  under  tiie  control  of 
a  higher  law  than  "  the  law  in  the  members," 
which  wars  Mgainst  "the  law  of  the  mind";  and 
which  brings  the  higher  nature  "  unto  captivity 
under  die  law  of  sin."  The  law  which  holds  sway 
within  him  is  "  the  law  of  the  spirit  of  life,  which 
makes  him  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death." 
When  the  spiritual  obtains  the  supremacy  in  any 
man  he  is  brought  into  harmony  with  the  laws  of 
his  being,  into  conformity  with  (Jo  I's  sovereign 
will,  and  into  adjustment  with  the  holy  order 
which  reigns  in  the  spiritual  universe. 

Materialism  is  the  ICgypt  out  of  which  (iod 
calls  his  spiritual  Israel.  It  is  the  house  of  bond- 
age from  which  every  spiritual  man  is  delivered. 
The  world  has  lost  its  dominion  over  him.  If 
l:e  should  fall  into  the  Dead  Sea  of  materialism 
he  will  not  remain  in  it;  if  he  should  be  sucked 
down  by  the  undertow  of  its  treacherous  currents 
he  will  rise  to  the  surface  and  strike  for  the  shore. 
He  is  not  like  the  sow  that  has  been  outwardly 
washed,  and  which  may  at  any  time  return  to  her 
wallowing  in  the  mire,  because  it  is  her  nature  so 
to  do;  but  having  been  transformed  from  a  sow 

99 


After  Pentecost,  Whal: 


to  a  sheep,  if  he  falls  into  the  mire  he  will  be 
certain  to  struj^gle  out,  and  hasten  to  the  ^reen 
pastures.  The  upward  tendency  w  ithin  the  spirit- 
ual man  is  stronjic-r  than  tiie  downward  teiuknc y  ; 
the  voice  witliin  lias  {greater  power  over  him  than 
the  voices  without;  in  the  irrepressible  conllitt 
of  his  dual  nature  the  spirit  has  the  upper  hand. 
The  aiii/ihi  briita^  or  earthly  mind, is  beinj;  stead- 
ily displaced  by  the  anima  divhia^  or  heaveidv 
mind;  an  upward  strr.jjjj^le  has  befrvni  which  will 
go  on  until  the  day  of  redemption.  The  existence 
of  this  struggle  is  the  one  conclusive  proof  that 
the  Spirit  of  God  has  come  into  a  human  life. 
In  the  natural  man  there  is  no  conflict;  in  the 
spiritual  man  there  is  a  conflict  which  never 
ceases  until  the  spirit  brings  the  flesh  into  sub- 
jection. In  the  natural  man  the  flesh  is  pam- 
pered, in  the  spiritual  man  the  flesh  is  crucified. 
The  moment  a  man  opens  the  windows  of  his 
spirit-home  towards  the  New  Jerusalem,  and  w  el- 
comcs  the  Spirit,  who  in  this  time  of  consum- 
mation is  actively  present,  he  begins  to  walk 
upon  an  upward  path  ;  he  is  drawn  up  into  the  tli- 
vine  life;  polarized  towards  the  divine  center;  bis 
tastes  and  aspirations  are  changed;  liis  powers 
of  mind  and  body  are  under  a  new  controlling 
power;  the  idea  of  his  life  is  not  pleasure  but 
goodness,  not  self-indulgence  but  self-denial.   He 

lOO 


T/ic  Spiritual  Man. 


is  a  spiritual  man  in  tiic  niakin«j.  Remnants  of 
carnality  may  be  fonntl  a(llicriii<^  to  him  as  parts 
of  the  sliell  are  sometimes  found  aiiherin<j  to  a 
newly-hatched  hird;  but  these,  bein<(  alien  to  his 
new  nature,  are  soon  shed  off,  and  he  is  free  to 
rise  sunward,  heavenward,  Godward.  He  now 
lives  in  the  spiritual  realm.  He  "  minds  the  thinj^s 
of  the  spirit."  Conscious  of  his  divine  heredity, 
he  is  conscious  also  of  his  divine  destiny.  As 
the  Spirit's  man  lie  is  a  spiritual  man  ;  as  a  bpirit- 
niled  man  he  is  a  man  in  whose  life  the  supremacy 
of  the  spiritual  is  established. 

It  cannot  be  too  stronj^ly  emphasized  that  the 
determining  power  in  tlic  renewal  of  man,  the 
power  by  which  mastery  over  the  sensuous  life 
is  obtained,  is  tlie  Spirit  of  (iod,  who  works  in 
and  throuj^h  the  spirit  of  man.  The  presence  of 
the  Spirit  makes  a  man  spiritual.  "  Vc  are  not 
in  the  flesh,  but  in  the  spirit,  if  so  be  that  the 
Spirit  of  Ciod  dwell  in  vou."  (Rom.  viii.  9.) 
Hut  while  it  is  true  that  man  of  himself  cannot 
achieve  freedom  from  the  thralldom  of  the  ilesh, 
that  he  cannot  of  himself  rise  superior  to  his 
earthly  environment  and  live  upon  the  spiritual 
plane,  that  he  cannot,  in  short,  become  of  him- 
self a  spiritual  man,  it  is  equally  true  that  he  can- 
not obtain  victory  over  tlie  Ilesh  and  become  a 
spiritual  man,  apart   from  his  own  action  in  the 

lt)I 


After  Pentecost,  Wh.^t? 


mutter,  in  tlic  rij^htfiil  use  of  the  (iod-fjiveii  power 
of  spiritual  initiative.  Not  only  must  there  be  a 
distinct  and  (lelinite  surrender  of  the  human  spirit 
to  the  Divine  Spirit,  hut  there  must  he  also  contin- 
uous and  active  co-operation  with  llim,  such  us  is 
expressed  in  the  words,  "If  ye  live  after  the  flesh 
ye  shall  die;  hut  if,  hy  the  Spirit,  ye  mortify  the 
deeds  of  the  fk-sli,  ye  shall  live."  (Rom.  viii.  13.) 
So  completely  do  the  divine  and  human  activities 
hlend  together  that  it  isdithcult,  '  ea,  impossible, 
to  define  their  resjiective  limits,  and  show  where 
the  one  ends  and  tiie  other  be<i;ins.  NVc  are 
not  always  conscious  of  the  divine  operations,  nor 
indeed  is  it  necessary  uit  we  shoidd  be.  The 
thin<^of  practical  importance  is  that  the  work  re- 
quiredof  usbe  faithfully  performed.  The  husband- 
man may  not  recoj^nize  the  hand  of  God  in  ine 
ordinary  operations  of  nature;  hut  if  he  does  his 
part,  God  will  work  with  him,  and  his  fields  will 
yield  their  increase.  Nowhere  is  this  law  of 
spiritual  interaction  more  forciby  expressed  than 
in  the  words,  "  Work  out  your  own  salvation  with 
fear  and  tremblinj^;  for  it  is  God  who  worketh 
in  you  both  to  will  and  to  work  for  His  {^ood 
pleasure."  (Phil.  ii.  13.)  Here  is  not  merely 
a  promise,  but  a  statement  of  a  fact.  "God  is  in 
you  by  His  .Spirit,  ener<i;izin}jf  >'"ii?  helping  you 
in  all  your  stru<4t^les  after  higher  things;  there- 

102 


The  Spiritual  Man. 

fort;  work  out  your  own  salvation,  feariiij^  and 
trcnibliu}^  lest  you  come  short  in  spite  of  such 
enicacious  help." 

Tlic  responsiliilitv  of  the  natural  man  for  be- 
coininj^  a  spiritual  man  lies  in  the  fact  that  wiili- 
in  his  moral  nature  there  is  a  center  of  causality 
which  may  be  (piickenecl  aiul  fructified  '  v  the 
Spirit  of  (jod,  as  the  life-^erm  in  the  bur»cil  seed 
is  (juii.is.ened  and  fructihetl  by  the  sun;  but  tin 
like  the  seed-^erm,  which  cannot  lielp  res[Hin<l- 
in<^  to  the  sun's  intluence,  he  may  yield  Ui  or  re- 
sist the  warm,  sweet  inthiences  which  play  upon 
him;  allowinj^  himself  to  be  drawn  up  into  the 
sunshine,  or  choosin<j  to  rot  in  the  darkness  of 
his  own  corruption     a  self-destroyed  soul. 

3.  7Vic  spiritual  man  Is  a  vtau  to  u</io/n  all 
of  life  is  spiritualized.  In  his  thought  there  is 
no  distinction  between  thin<;s  sacred  and  thinj^js 
secular.  It  is  lujt  that  the  sacred  has  become  com- 
mon, but  the  common  has  become  sacred  ;  it  is 
not  that  the  spiritual  has  been  seculari/eil.  but  the 
secular  has  been  spiritualized.  To  him  plowing 
is  as  spiritual  a  work  as  praying;  feeding  the 
hungry  as  spiritual  as  preaching  tile  gospel.  In 
his  eyes  the  ministering  saint  at  the  i.iountain 
foot  is  no  less  glorious  than  the  transfigured  saint 
on  the  mountain  top.  To  him  l-vimanity  is  spirit- 
ualized.    He    knows    no    man    after    the    flesh. 

103 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


Earth's  poor  distinctions  have  faded  out.  Men 
are  judged,  not  by  rank  or  wealth,  but  by  rhar- 
acter;  tliev  are  looked  at  and  loveti,  and  labored 
for  as  spiritual  beings.  Artiliciality  he  discards. 
His  stanilard  of  nieasmenient,  his  sense  of  values, 
is  spiritual;  and  tlie  spiritual  is  the  real.  The 
stream  of  his  spiritual  activities  tlows  alon;^  nat- 
ural channels;  his  service  to  God  and  man  is  ful- 
hlled  in  natural  ways.  The  more  spiritual  he  is, 
the  more  natural  he  is. 

The  spiritualizinjj^  process  bej^un  at  Pentecost 
is  in  line  with  the  movement  towards  the  spirit- 
ual which  has  always  characterized  the  unfold- 
ing purpose  t)f  God  in  the  world.  This  move- 
ment is  seen  in  science.  In  all  the  developments 
of  science  there  is  a  tendency  towards  the  spirit- 
ual. Matter  is  being  touched  to  finer  issues. 
Wind  and  water  have  been  displaced  by  steam; 
steam  is  being  displaced  by  electricity.  The 
coarser  kinds  of  power  are  being  transmuted  into 
those  which  are  more  retined  and  subtle.  The 
ultimate  aim  cf  science  seems  to  be  the  sublimat- 
ing of  the  material.  The  same  movement  towards 
the  spiritual  is  even  more  marked  within  the 
sphere  of  human  life  and  activity.  Material  things 
are  being  subordinated  to  spiritual  ends;  earthly 
powers  are  being  made  subservient  to  spiritual 
results.      Literature  begins  to  feel  the  burden  of 

104 


The  Spiritual  Man. 

a   spiritual    mission;    art,   with    newly    anointed 
eyes,  sees  God  in    everything,  and   glorifies   the 
common     life    from     which     He    had     hitherto 
been  shut  out;  natural  gifts  are   being  spiritual- 
ized in  the   lofty  uses   to  which  they  are  conse- 
crated;  drudgery  is  being  made  divine  by  having 
a  spiritual  purpose  imported   into  it;  business  is 
being  spiritualized  by  making  it  a  l)cneficent  min- 
istry   to  others;  politics  are  being  spiritualized 
l,v  regarding  the  service  of  the  state  as  the  serv- 
ice of    God;  wealth    is   acquiring  a  new  value  in 
view  of   the    spiritual    motives    from  which  it  is 
bein^'-  made  and  ministered;  the  whole   round  of 
daily  duty,  pleasure,  and  trial  is  being  ennobled 
and   sublimed   by  giving   to  every  part  of  life  a 
new  spiritual  significance.    If  the  growing  ascend- 
ency of  the  spiritual  has  any  meaning,  it  means 
the    <rrowing   consciousness   of     the    oneness    or 
man  with   the  life  of   God,  and   the  growing  as- 
cendency of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  man,  and  in  the 

world. 

4.  The  spiritual  man  is  a  Man  ivho  is  fitted 
to  do  spiritual  xcork.  He  has  the  heart  to  do  it, 
for  he  is  lilled  with  the  Spirit's  sympathy  and 
love.  Like  the  Spirit,  he  gives  himself  to  otliers, 
seeking  for  nothing  in  return.  Everything  that 
pertains  to  self  is  strained  out  of  his  motives. 
lie  ib  satistied  to  be  the  Spirit's  mouth   to  speak 

105 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


for  Him,  His  hand  to  work  for  Him,  in  His  min- 
istry of  <(racc  to  the  world. 

Without  spirituaUty  all  ^ifts,  natural  and  ac- 
quired, are  useless  and  vain.  The  icsthetic  spirit 
is  often  worldly ;  culture  is  often  as  selfish  as 
commerce;  knowledjjje  is  often  souj^ht  with  the 
greed  of  a  gourmand ;  music  and  art  are  often 
made  to  pander  to  self-glory  ;  inventions  and  dis- 
coveries which  ought  to  minister  to  the  general 
comfort  and  well-heing  of  men  are  often  made 
the  instruments  of  self-aggrandizement  and  op- 
pression. But  let  a  man  he  moved  hy  the  im- 
pulses which  come  from  the  heart  of  the  Sinrit 
and  he  will  he  constrained  to  hring  the  fruits  of 
his  life  as  an  offering  of  love,  and  lay  them  down 
at  the  feet  of  the  Divine  Master  whose  service  is 
the  service  of  man. 

Alon<r  with  the  heart  to  do  spiritual  work,  the 
spiritual  man  has  the  ability  to  do  it.  For  spirit- 
uality is  power.  Rtiigious  work  done  in  the 
spirit  of  the  world  amounts  to  nothing.  As  the 
sunliirht  may  be  rellected  by  an  iceberg,  the  truth 
may  be  spoken  by  an  unregenerate  man,  and  God 
may  bless  His  own  truth  by  whomsoever  spoken; 
but  the  truth  has  greater  power  when  reinforced 
by  the  life  of  him  who  utters  it.  Napoleon,  hear- 
ing his  otlicers  discussing  the  merits  of  the  bayo- 
net as  an  instrument  of  warfare,  closed  the  debate 

1 06 


The  Spiritual  Man. 

with  the  remark,  "The  vahie  of  the  bayonet  de- 
pcmls  upon  the  man  bcliiiul  it."  Of  every  in- 
strumentality emph)ye(l  in  doing  Christian  work 
this  is  emphaticrlly  true;  its  efficacy  depends 
upon  the  man  behind  it.  Put  a  Spirit-filled  man 
behind  the  most  imperfect  instrument  and  it  will 
thresh  mountains.  Put  "  men  whose  heart  God 
has  touched"  behind  the  truth  and  it  will  touch 
other  hearts.  Oh,  the  folly  of  trying  to  do  spirit- 
ual work  by  worldly  people !  For  spiritual  work 
spiritual  men  are  needed.  The  demand  of  tlie 
hour  is  not  new  methods  so  much  as  it  is  new 
men— spiritual  men— men  who  arc  filled  with  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


107 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

spikiti;ai.  holiness. 

"Holy  Spirit,  dwell  with  me; 
I  myself  would  holy  be; 
Separate  from  sin,  I  would 
Choose  and  cherish  all  things  good; 
And  whatever  I  can  be 
Give  to  Him  who  gave  me  Thee. " 

Thomas  T.  Lynch. 

The  Spirit  is  called  the  Holy  Spirit  not  only 
because  He  is  essentially  holy,  Inil  because  He  is 
the  author  of  holiness.    The  heart-temple  in  which 
He  dwells  is  a  holy  place.      When  He  enters  the 
heart,  sin  departs.      Before  the  fiery  darts  of  His 
couJilenance  the  python  of  unri<?hteousness,  with 
her  evil  brood,  crawls  away  discomfited  to  fnul  a 
hiding  place  in  the  darlc  corners  of  thj  universe. 
On  the  principle  that  two  bodies  cannot    occupy 
the  same  space  at  the  same  time,  but  that  one  will 
displace  the  other  as  a  ship  will  displace  a  volume 
of  water  equal  to  its  own  weight,Lhe  Holy  Spirit 
crowds  sin  out  of   the  soul.     "One   love   expels 
another,"    says    St.     Jerome.      "The     expulsive 
power  of  a  new  affection"  is  a  thought  with  which 
Dr.  Chalmers  has  familiarized  us.      As  the  light 
expels   darkness;  as  dead   leaves  are  pushed  off 
by  the  swelling  of  the   new  leaf-lnids;  or  as  the 

io8 


Spiritual  Holiness. 

snow  slides  off  the  cottage  roof  when  the  fire  is 
kindled  on  the  hearth,  so  evil  disappears  when 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Conqueror  of  sin,  takes 
possession  of  the  heart. 

Sin  is  not  to  ]>e  overcome  hy  direct  resistance, 

but  liy  the  ope 

As  every  poison 

opposite   and    overconiin<^   j^^race. 

then  "  exclaims   St.  Taul,  "  walk    in    the    Spirit, 


ration  of  an  opposing   principle, 
has  its  antidote,every  sin  has  its 


Th 


IS 


say 


an 


d  ye   shall    no 


t  fuUill    the   lusts   of   the    fiesh. 


(Gal.  v.  16.)     Walk  in  the   power  of   the    Spirit 
if    the   tlesh    will    he   unheeded. 


ant 


I   the   desires 


Fill  the   bushel    with    wheat,"  says  John  Ne 


w 


ton,  ' 
tares. 


and   von   mav  ( 


lefv  the   devil   to  fill  it  with 


After  the  weet 


Is  of 


sin 


hav 


e  l)cen  p 


died 


up,  let  them  he  supplanted  by  occupying  the  life 
with  new  aims  and  pursuits. 

The  principle  of  salvation  by  displacement  may 
be  illustrate<l  by  a  reference  to  Greek  mythology. 
As  the  Ci reeks  returned  from   Troy  their  course 


led    them    past    the   is 
had   been   warned  on  no 


land   of   the  sirens.      They 


seductive  me 

for  all  who  gave  ear 


account  to  listen   to  the 

lodies  of  these  treacherous  nymphs, 

to  their  enticing  strains  felt 


an  u 


joui 


nconcpierable   desire  to  leap  overboard   and 
them,    when    thev    either    perislied    at   their 


hands  or  were  engu 


Ifed  bv  the  waves.    Odysseus, 


in  order  that  the  crew  mi 

109 


"■ht  not  hear  the  song 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


of  the  sirens,  filled  their  ears  with  melted  wax. 
Hilt  when  the  Ar<jonauts  were  wafted  by  gentle 
zephyrs  towards  the  abode  of  the  sirens,  and  the 
enticin<^  strains  fell  upon  their  ears,  and  they  l)e- 
came  powerfully  affected,  Orpheus,  perceiving 
their  danger,  took  up  his  lyre,  and  commenced 
one  of  his  enchanting  songs,  and  so  powerfully 
did  he  aljsorb  the  attention  of  his  listeners  that 
thev  passed  the  island  in  safety.  Thus  it  is  that 
when  the  Spirit  wins  the  ear  the  spell  of  the 
tempter  is  broken;  when  He  dwells  and  reigns 
within  the  heart,  proclivity  to  sin  is  taken  away; 
when  lie  pre-empts  and  pre-occupies  the  life, solic- 
itations to  evil  meet  with  no  response;  when  He 
sanctifies  the  nature  "  \vholly"--or,  as  Luther 
translates  the  word,  "through  and  through,"  the 
Prince  of  this  world  finds  nothing  to  which  he 
can  appeal;  when  He  saturates  the  soul  He  ren- 
ders it  noncombustible,s()  that  the  sparks  of  temp- 
tation fall  harmlessly  upon  it. 

Sometimes  it  is  said  that  before  the  Holy  Spirit 
can  come  in  as  the  sanctifier  of  the  soul,  sin  must 
be  thrust  out.  Would  it  not  be  more  correct  to 
say  that  when  the  Holy  Spirit  comes  in  He 
thrusts  sin  out?  He  does  not  flow  into  a  self- 
emptied  soul  like  air  into  a  vacuum.  Hard  in- 
deed w  Id  be  our  lot  if  the  task  were  imposed 
upon  us  of  clearing  out  from  our  hearts  the   rub- 

IIO 


Spiritual  Holiness. 


l»ish  of  worldliness  and  sin,  to  prepare  for  the  in- 
(Iwcllinjij  of  the  Spirit.  Those  who  occupy  them- 
selves einptyin;jf  their  hearts  of  evil  things  are 
like  sailors  working  the  pumps  in  a  leaky  ship 
into  which  the  water  comes  faster  than  it  can  he 
pumped  out.  'i'he  task  before  them  is  one  to 
which  the  twelve  labors  of  Hercules  were  as 
nothing.  It  is  not  self-emptying,  but  divine-in- 
filling that  is  needed.  The  command  is  not, 
"Empty  your  hearts  and  I  will  fill  them,"  but 
"Open  your  hearts  and  I  will  fill  them."  The 
way  to  put  off  the  old  man  is  by  putting  on  the 
new;  the  way  to  get  the  heart  cleansed  is  by  al- 
lowing the  Destroyer  of  sin  to  enter  it.  Wherever 
the  Holy  Spirit  gains  a  footing  everything  alien 
to  the  will  of  (jod  must  go.  His  presence  in  the 
soul  assures  the  complete  expulsion  of  sin.  En- 
ter the  Holy  One  of  God  ;  exit  sin! 

But  holiness  is  something  more  than  the  expul- 
sion of  sin;  it  is  the  impartation  of  a  spirit  and 
principle  of  righteousness.  The  "  sanctification 
of  the  Spirit"  (i  Peter  i.  2),  that  is,  the  sanctifi- 
cation of  which  the  Spirit  is  the  elhcient  cause, 
is  heartdioliness.  It  consists  in  the  cleansing  of 
the  hidden  fountain  of  life  within  the  soul.  Of 
all  true  lielievers  it  is  said  that  they  "have  puri- 
fied their  souls  in  obeying  the  truth  through  the 
Spirit."     (i    Peter  i.  22.)     Through  the   instru- 

III 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

mentality  of  the  truth,  and  the  a}j;cncy  of  the 
Spirit,  inward  purity  is  reali/ed.  The  Jewish 
concepliun  of  iioHness  was  separation  from  out- 
ward uncleanness;  the  Chri:,tian  conception  is 
separation  from  sin.  It  is  not  enou>;li  to  have 
clean  hands,  there  must  be  clean  hearts  also.  An 
Irish  boy  in  a  Ra;i;^ed  School  j^ave  the  rii^ht 
answer  to  the  question,  "What  is  it  to  be  holy?" 
when  he  said:  "Please  your  Reverence,  to  be 
holy  is  to  be  clean  inside."  Inside  cleanness  is 
what  Christianity  demands.  "  The  method  of 
Jesus"  was,  as  Matthew  Arnold  has  jiointed  out, 
that  of  "  inwardness."  In  His  teachin;:;  Jesus  dis- 
tinguished the  essence  of  religion  from  its  forms. 
Religious  acts  might  be  outwardly  faultless,  but 
if  the  inward  disposition  from  which  they  sprung 
was  wrong  He  denounced  them  as  morally 
worthless.  The  salt  had  lost  its  savor  if  the 
spiritual  side  of  the  religious  life  was  discarded. 
The  "form  of  godliness"  was  an  offense  in  the 
sight  of  heaven  if  not  animated  by  "a  spirit  of 
holiness."  "Woe  imto  you,  scribes,  Pharisees, 
hypocrites!  for  ye  tithe  mint  and  anise  and  cum- 
min, and  have  left  undone  tlie  weightier  matters 
of  the  law,  judgment,  mercy  and  faitli ;  but  these 
ye  ought  to  have  done,  and  not  to  have  left  the 
other  undone."  "  Ye  blind  guides,  who  strain  out 
the  gnat  and  bolt  the  camel."     "Woe  unto  you, 

112 


Spiritual  Holiness. 

scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  for  ye  cleanse 
the  outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter,  I)ut  with- 
in they  are  full  of   extortion    and    excess.      Thou 
blind  Pharisee,  cleanse  first  the  inside  of  the  cup 
and  of  the  platter,that  tlie  outside  thereof  may  be- 
come  clean   also."      Even  at  its  best  tlie   reli'^ion 
of  the  Pharisee  was  a  tiling  of    mechanics  rather 
than  of  life.      It  emliraced  the  moralities,  but    it 
lacked  the  spiritualities;  it  was  in<,r()()d  f()rm,lnit 
it  was  destitute  of  a  ri^ht  spirit.    Hence  our  Lord 
says,"  Except  your  ri_L(hteousness  shall  <^o  lieyond 
the  righteousness  of  the  scriliesand  Pharisees" — 
unless  it  is  a  thing  of  the  heart  -  unless, in  a  word, 
it  is  morality  transfigured  with  love — "you  shall 
in  nowise   enter   into   the    kingdom    of  heaven." 
Not  the  least  revolutionary  thing  about  Jesus  as 
a  religious  reformer  was  the  introduction  by  Him 
of  a  new  religious  model.      His  typical  saint  was 
not  the  punctilious  oliserver  of   religious   forms, 
but  the  self-confessed  sinner,  in   whose  peniten- 
tial heart  a  spark  of  divine  life  had  been  kindled. 
He  hurled  from  his  lofty  pedestal  the  self-applaud- 
ing Pharisee,  and  put  in  his  pbicc  the  self-abasing 
publican.      Tested  by  the  standard  wliich   He  set 
up, many  types  of  modern  piety  stand  condemned. 
A  visitor  at  a"  Higher  Life  Camp  Meeting"  was 
asked  if  he  had  "got   holiness."     "I  have    none 
to  speak  of,"  was  the  reply.      The  more  holiness 

113 


After  Pentecost,  What 


any  man  has,  the  U-ss   he*   wants  to  speak  of  it. 
Humility  is  one  of  the  <,^raees  of  the  Spirit. 

S\vcepin<j  away  at  a  stroke  all  liaiin  to  theo- 
cratic privile<j;es  not  foinided  npnn  iIk-  jjossession 
of  spiritual  prineiples,  raulsays:  "IK'  is  not  a 
Jew  who  is  one  oiitw  ar'Uv,  n*^  itlier  is  that  c  ircnin- 
cision  which  is  outward  in  tlie  iKsli  ;  Imt  he  is  a 
Jew  who  is  one  inwanllv,  and  ci  n  uiniision  is 
that  of  the  heart,  in  the  spirit,  not  in  tiie  letter, 
whose  praise  is  not  of  men,  but  of  (Jod."  (Kom. 
ii.  28,  29,)  The  true  Jew  is  the  spiritual  Jew; 
and  true  circumcision  is  spiritual  circumcision. 
"  The  kinj^dom  of  (Jod  is  not  meat  and  drink, 
but  rigiiteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Spirit" — it  is  not  an  exterior  hut  an  interior  thinpj. 
The  New  Testament  sets  no  value  wiiatever  upon 
outward  deeds  from  which  the  spiritual  clement, 
which  alone  can  ;j;ive  them  value,  is  ahsiiit.  "If 
I  bestow  all  my  j^oods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  if  I 
give  my  hody  to  he  burned,  hut  have  not  love,  it 
profiteth  me  nothing."  "  I?y  deeds  of  law,"  that 
is,  by  "deeds  of  law"  as  ojiposed  to  "works  of 
faith,"  "there  shall  no  llesh  living  l)e  justified." 
Faith  is  the  inward  seed  from  which  acceptable 
works  arc  grown.  And  "  faith  is  not  a  mere  con- 
fidence that  a  work  of  grace  will  he  done  for  us, 
but  a  consent  that  a  work  of  grace  sh;dl  be 
wrought  in  us."*     It  is  the  surrender  of  the  soul 

•"The  Pauline  TheoloRy,"  Gcrr;;.   m^revTns',  D.D.,  p.  298I 

114 


Spiritual  Holiness. 


to  Christ   that    He   may   work  in    it  ull  His   holy 
will. 

A  vital  priiuipk-  of  ri^htcousiuss,  or,  as  it  has 
been  called,  an  ethical  tein|)cr,  enters  the  soul  by 
faith,  vvorkinj^  from  the  center  of  beinj^  to  the 
circumference  of  life.  The  tree  is  made  j^ood 
that  the  fruit  may  be  j^'ood  ;  tlie  sprinj^  is  cleansed 
that  the  issuin<^  streams  may  l)e  pure.  In  the 
surrendered  soul  the  Holy  Spirit  becomes  a  new 
creative  principle ;  infusinij  new  pcnvers  of  life; 
generatiii}*  a  holy  disposition  froni  which  holy 
actions  flow ;  awakeninj^  a  holy  love  that  leads 
its  possessor  to  do  the  lovinjf  thin<^  toothers;  im- 
partinj^  invvard  j^races  which  become  active  forces 
workini^  themselves  out  in  holy  duties.  "Those 
who  are  partakers  of  the  Holy  Spirit"  manifest 
in  good  deeds  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  which  is 
"love,  joy,  peace,  lonj^sufferini,^,  kindness,  faith- 
fulness, meekness,  self-control,"  The  Holy  Spirit 
within  their  hearts  is  like  the  fairv  lamp  in  the 
German  tale,  which  translijrin-ed  llie  squalid  hut 
of  the  fisherman  into  a  palace  of  burnished  silver. 
In  some  real  and  mysterious  wa\  the  Holy  Spirit 
tills  their  spirits  and  becomes  the  sprinj^  of  all 
their  motives.  He  makes  tluin  pliant  to  divine 
control,  plastic  to  divine  iniluence,  submissive  to 
divine  authority.  They  are  brouj^ht  "  in  sancti- 
fication  of  the  Spirit  unto  obedience,  and  sprink- 


After  Pentecost,  Wliat? 


ling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Clirisl."  ( i  Peter  i.  2.) 
Their  sanctillcalioii  lias  two  sides,  separation  from 
sin,  and  separation  to  the  ser\  iee  of  (iod.  They 
arepuriiied  in  their  hearts, anil  they  are  purified  un- 
to Christ, that  they  may  he  "  a  i)e()ple  for  1  lis  own 
possession, zealous  of  good  works."  They  eease  to 
do  evil,  and  they  learn  to  do  well,  using  every 
particle  of  power  which  they  possess  for  the  work- 
ing out  of  the  divine  purpose  in  the  world 

Holiness  is  wholeness.  To  he  made  hoi  is  to 
be  made  whole.  A  holy  life  is  a  complete  life; 
and  a  complete  life  is  a  life  completely  filled 
and  controlled  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  Such  a  life 
was  that  of  the  Ideal  Man.  His  was  a  life  which 
at  every  step  was  subject  to  the  Spirit's  leading. 
At  the  begimiing  of  His  public  ministry,  when 
He  was  being  baptized,  the  Holy  Spirit  descend- 
ed, and  abode  upon  Hiin.  (Luke  iii.  22.)  After 
His  baptism  He  returned  from  the  Jordan  "  full 
of  the  Spirit,"  and  fully  prepared  for  His  work 
(Luke  iv.  i);  that  He  might  be  tried  in  the  fire, 
"He  was  led  by  the  Spirit  into  the  wilderness, be- 
ing tempted  of  the  devil"  (Luke  iv.  2)  ;  victorious 
over  the  assaults  of  evil,"  He  returned  to  Galilee 
in  the  power  of  the  Spirit,"  and  began  His  work 
(Luke  iv.  14);  standing  up  in  the  sn  nagogue  of 
Nazareth,  He  openly  proclaimed  Himself  to  be 
the    Messiah    by   appropriating   to    Himself    the 

116 


Spiritual  Holiness. 

prophetic  words,  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is 
upon  Me"  (Lui<e  iv.  18) ;  lie  "cast  out  demons  by 
the  power  of  the  Spirit"  (Mutt.. \ii.j3) ;  He  "went 
about  doiiij^  ;^<Jod,  bciii|^  anointed  with  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  with  power"  (Acts  x.  3S);  "ihrouj^ii 
tlie  Eternal  S})iril  lleoffeied  1 1  iniself  unto  (jod," 
us  a  sacrifice  for  the  world's  sin  (lleb.  ix.  14);  be- 
ing" put  to  death  in  llie  llesh,"  He  was  "  quickened 
in  tlie  Spirit'*  (^1  I'eteriii.  18);  and  was"  lieclared 
to  be  the  Son  of  God  in  pt)Wcr,  accordinj^  to  the 
Spirit  of  holiness,  by  His  resurrection  from  the 
dead"    (Rom.  i.  .}).      Tlie   Spirit's  work  in  Him 


was  the  norm  o 


f   H 


IS  work    Ml    man. 


NV 


Kit  was 


to  Hiin  a  possession  was  to  His  ilisciples  a  prom- 
ise; but  all  that  the  Sjjirit  was  to  Him  He  was 
yet  to  become  to  them,  and  to  the  whole  of  that 
humanity  which  He  represented. 

The  wholeness  of  man  is  from  the  Spirit  of 
Wholeness.  In  every  promise  of  the  Spirit's 
help  the  need  of  His  indwelliiiij^  to  make  tnen 
holy,  is  implied.  When  Jehovah  savs,  "  I  will 
put  My  Spirit  within  yon,  iind  cause  you  to  walk 
in  My  statu!  js,"  it  is   assumed    that    no   one    can 


walk 


V  in    the    way   ot    nL,niteous 


f 


^ness    without    the 


Spirit's  stren<^th.  Feeble  as  in  fane v,  man,  to 
walk  upriifhtly,  has  to  lean  neavilv  upon  the 
Spirit's  arm.  The  power  that  sustains  is  a  power 
that  dwells  within.  When  tlie  thoULcht  of  the  divine 


II' 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


transcendence  is  made  prominent  the  conscious- 
ness of  sin  and  weakness  is  intensified,  l)iit  wlien 
the  thought  of  the  divine  inunanence  is  made 
prominent  tliere  is  a  more  vivid  consciousness  of 
the  workiufjj  of  a  jiower  l)y  which  sin  is  to  be 
overcome;  a  power  liy  which  ihe  soul's  (Hseases 
are  to  he  healed;  a  power  i>y  whicli  a  worldly  life 
is  to  be  changed  into  a  spiritual  life,  and  a  life  of 
selfishness  into  a  life  of  sacrifice.  \\'hcn  at  Pen- 
tecost the  transcendent  Ciod  became  immanent,  a 
transformation  took  place  ii;  tiv.' li\  es  of  thedisci- 
ples  which  was  more  noteworthy  than  the  mirac- 
ulous signs  bv  which  tlie  descent  of  the  Sj)irit 
was  accompanied.  In  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  power  to  he  holy  was  ])estowed  upon  sin- 
ful men. 

The  three  leading  figures  employed  in  Scrip- 
ture to  descril)e  the  Holy  Spirit  give  special 
prominence  to  His  work  of  spiritual  puriiication. 

He  is  comi)ared  to //re,  whit  h  cleanses  the  soul 
from  earthly  alloy.  In  announcing  the  Messiah's 
advent  John  the  IJaptist  said,  "He  shall  l)aptize 
you  with  the  liolv  Spirit,  and  with  lire;"  that  is, 
He  shall  hapli/e  you  with  the  Ihily  Spirit,  of 
which  tire  is  t!;e  lltling  ciriblcin  ;  He  sliall  seiul 
a  fiery  baptism  upon  y.iu,  which  will  purge  the 
moral  nature  from  e\c'r\-  taint  of  impurity;  lie 
shall   come    upon    you    as  "  a  Spirit  of  burning," 

ii8 


Spiritual  Holiness. 

kin(llin<,'  in   the    heart   a   ilanie   of   celestial   love 
which    will  burn  dowiuvani,  consumiiiK  all  self- 
ishness  and    sin,    ami    l)urn    upward    in    a   pure, 
white  llame  of  deathless  devotion.     What  is  true 
of  the  solar  lire  is  true  also  of  llie  iir    of  heavenly 
love--"  there  is  nothin-'  liid  from  'iie  heat  there- 
of."    With  subtle    power  it  seavclies   into  the  in- 
most recesses  oi  the  m)uI,  meUin<;,  cleansin-,-  and 
transforminjjj    wliatever    il    touches,    burnin<,r   up 
the  dross  of  character,  nfmin;^    tlie  spiritual   na- 
ture "as  <n>h\  tried  in  the  tire."    Heiii-nant  is  this 
aspect  of  the  Uoly  Spirit's  work,  as    He    kindles 
hi   the    heart    the    consumin--    lire  of    holy  love. 
"His  liery  ;.^low  tells  of  mercy,  not  of  woe."    He 
destroys  sin  that  He  may  save  tiie  siimer. 

He  is  also  compared  to  :..?/< v,  because  as  the 
el.ment  oi  spiritual  cleansin-  He  is  to  the  soul 
what  wat.'  is  to  llie  body.  The  two  baptisms, 
"of  wate' and  of  the  Spirit,"  are  always  connected 

in  Scripture;  the  one  bcin-  the  outward  si-n  of 
which  the  other  is  the  inward  reality.  The  Holy 
Spirit  is  freely  Kiven,tlKit  li\  His  sanctifyin-  in- 
fhience  it  may  be  possible  to  maintain  moral  pu- 
rity in  the  nudstof  an  impure  wi)rld.  Power  for 
purity  comes  t.^  all  w\u>  need  it^'throu-h  the 
washin--  of  re-em  ration,  an<l  the  renewiiij,^  of  the 
Hol>  Spirit,  which  i:.  poured  out  upon  us  richly 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Savior."    (lilus  iii.  5, 

119 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


6.)  This  invvai-il,  ethical  haplisiii  of  the-  Spirit 
which  comes  tlirough  the  cuncuriciit  operation  of 
tlie  Spirit  with  the  haptism  of  water  in  the  laver 
■ration,  is  to  all  who  receive  it  the  means 


Jt  reeene 


L-ome 


by  Nvliich  they  are  united  to  Christ,  antl  bee 
one  witli  Him  in  such  a  deep  sj)iritnal  sense  that 
they  die  with  Him  unto  sin,  are  Iniried  with  Him 
to    the    world,    and    rise    with   Him   to  newness 

of  life. 

In   the   form  of   a  ifovc,  the   Holy  Spirit    who 
broods  unseen  over  a  sinful  world  ilescended  visi- 
bly upon  Jesus  at   His  baptism,  and   abode   upon 
Him,  to  si}jfnify  the  closeness  of  His  contact  with 
the  humanity  which  He  representnl.     I'nder  this 
emblem  the  Spirit's  gentleness  and  purity  are  ex- 
pressed.     Those   upon    whom    He    descends   and 
abides,   become   dove-ike    in    nature.      They   arc. 
made  srentle  and   pure.      Thev  rise   above   thinjfs 
that  are  vile,  and   shine   resplendent    in  the   light 
of  heaven.   Of  sucli  it  is  saiil:  "Though  ye  have 
lien  among  the  pots,  yet  shall  ye  be  as  the  wings 
of  a  dove   covered    with   silver,  and    her   feathers 
with  yellow  gold."      (I's.  Iwiii.   13.)      As  Hocks 
of  doves   may  be   seen    rising   calm   and  unsoiled 
from    the   eastern    house-tops,    where    they    have 
lain  during   the   lieat  of  the   day  among   the   pots 
and  rubbish— and  soaring  aioft    in   tlie   snnsliine, 
their  outspread  wings  shining  like  burnished  sil- 

120 


Spiritual  Holiness. 

vcr  and  gold,  so  souls  touclicd  with  the  Holy 
Spirit,  havin<:j  a  passion  for  purity  begotten  with- 
in  them,  rise  out  of  the  dust,  and  soaring  into  the 
heavenly  sunliglit,  leave  behind  them  the  corrup. 
tion  of  earth,  ever  rising  higher  and  shining 
brighter  until  lost  to  view  in  the  ineffable  glory. 


121 


CHAPTER  TX. 

SriKl  1  lAI.    AL'  niouiTY. 

"Thy  commandment  al!  alone  shall  live 
Within  the  book  and  volume  of  my  brain." 

Shakespeare. 

Pentecost  marks  advaiKcmeiit  from  outward 
to  inward  autliority;  fioin  oiiiward  obedience  to 
inward  obedience;  from  outward  restraint  to  in- 
ward constraint;  from  a  law  written  upon  parch- 
ment to  a  law  written  in  the  heart.  A  new  cov- 
enant was  maile  with  man,  and  tlie  old  covenant 
passed  out  of  force.  This  chan«^e  is  announced 
in  the  worils,  "This  is  the  covenant  that  I  v/ill 
make  with  them  after  those  days,  saidi  the  Lord: 
1  will  put  My  laws  in  their  hearts,  and  upon  their 
minds  will  I  write  them."  (Ileb.  x.  15,16.)  Un- 
der this  new  covenant  we  are   now  living. 

I.  llic  authority  of  God  oi'cr  wan  is  spirit- 
ual.  The  law  written  of  old  "  in  tables  of  stone" 
is  now  ^vritten  "  in  tables  that  are  hearts  of  flesh." 
A  center  of  authority  is  set  up  in  the  kingdom  of 
the  sold.  We  are  governed  from  within.  We 
do  not  carry  in  our  hands  a  code  of  rules,  and 
when  in  doubt  regarding  any  question  in  morals 
ask,  "Is  it  nominated  in  the  bond?"  So  "ex- 
ceeding l)road"  is   the    law  of    the    Lord    written 

1 11 


Spiritual  Authority. 


within  the  heart  that  it  covers  every  possible  con- 
tingency in  moral  action.  The  Mosaic  law  was 
given  to  the  Jew  as  a  Jew,  and  was  restricted  in 
its  application;  the  law  written  upon  the  heart  is 
given  to  man  as  ma,i,  and  is  of  universal  appli- 
cation. Unchangin-  in  its  essence,  it  is  llexihlc 
in  its  outward  forms  r.f  expression,  and  readily 
adapts  itself  to  the  ever  clianging  conditions  of 
individual  and  social  life. 

At  the  first  dawnings  of  moral  consciousness 
this  inward  law  is  recognized.  "  Conscience  and 
consciousness  rise  together.  Mind  conscious  of 
self  is  also  mind  conscious  of  obligation.  The 
•I  am'  and  the  'I  ought'  are  twins,  born  at  the 
same  moment."*  The  ethical  authority  under 
which  every  man  finds  himself,  is  not  the  product 
of  education,  as  Herbert  Spencer,  in  his  "Data 
of  Ethics,"  has  attempted  to  make  out.  It  is  some- 
thing which  education  may  develop  and  direct, 
but  "which  it  cannot  create.  The  law  within 
comes    fron.    above.      "  Thv    law    is    within    my 


heart,"  is  the  on 


existenci 


Iv  satisfactory  explanation  o 
ird    authority    w 


>f    a   secret    inw 


f  the 
hich 


every  man  is 
2.      The  <i'< 
istcrcd  l>v  C/n-ist 


bound  to  acknowledge  and  obey. 
l/ioritv  of  (nu/  over  men  is  admin- 


le    ruk 


U-  of  God   is  me 


dia- 


tori 


;il.      l^nto    the    Son_jin_juahm:i^\^as^Ji^ 
^hy  of  Religion  and   History,"  by  A.  M. 


•"Studies  in  tlic  I'luluso 
Falrbaitn.    Page  M- 


123 


After  Tentecost,  What? 

given.  "  The  j^ovcrnmcnt  is  m^on  Ilis  shoul- 
ders." His  nail-picrccd  hiuul  IioKIs  the  scepter  of 
universal  dominion,  lie  is  the  worUPs  true  Kinj;, 
who  lays  down  the  laws  wliicli  are  to  <,'overn  men 
in  the  whole  course  of  their  moral  conduct.  Ik- 
is  more  than  an  interpreter  of  law;  He  is  the 
law-eiver.  To  His  claims  for  suijremacy  con- 
science  says,  Amen.  His  will,  when  kno'-n,  he- 
comes  the  law  of  life.  When  His  authoritative 
voice  is  heard  sayin<,^  "Follow  Me,"  a  new  cen- 
ter of  authority  is  estahlished,  a  new  standard  of 
action  is  erected,  and  His  word  comes  to  the 
spirit  of  man  as  the  word  of  its  ri>,ditful  king. 
His  authority  reaches  deep.  It  has  to  do,  not 
alone  with  outward  relations  and  with  overt  acts, 
hut  also  with  hidden  principles  that  jrovern  the 
thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart.  He  declares 
the  man  of  unchaste  desire  to  he  an  adulterer, 
and  the  man  who  cherishes  hatred  towards  his 
hrothertohe  a  murderer.  His  ethical  edicts  reach 
to  the  secret  motives  which  are  the  springs  of 
action.  Within  the  domain  of  tlie  spirit  He  holds 
undisputed  sway. 

3,  The  autJioritv  of  God  over  man  is  acf»iin- 
istcrcd  by  C/nisf,  tJiroiioh  tJic  Holy  Spirit. 
Christ  issues  His  commands  "tlirough  the  Holy 
Spirit"  (Acts  i.  2),  not  alwnys,  however,  hy  an 
outward    word     hut   often   by   an    inward    voice. 

124 


Spirilual  AuUiorily. 

Thr  end  for  whicli  the  Spirit  works  is  to  secure 
the  recoj^nition  of  the  inner  supremacy  of  Christ 
on  the  part  of  those  who  are  the  nominal  suh- 
jects  of  llis  kinj^tlom.  It  was  as  kin<?  that  Christ 
was  rejected,  and  it  is  as  k\nyr  that  the  Spirit 
seeks  to  liave  Him  accepted.  The  true  royalty 
of  the  crucified  Christ  is  reveale(l  to  men  hy  the 
Spirit  that  crown-rij^hts  may  he  accorded  to  Him, 
and  that  before  His  cross  as  before  a  royal  throne 
the  spirit  of  man  may  prostrate  itself  in  loving 
and  loyal  submission,  exclaiming,',  "Lord,  what 
wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do?"  The  cross,  made 
known  by  the  Spirit  in  all  its  spiritual  signifi- 
cance,has  become  a  throne  of  kingly  power  from 
which  Christ  is  rulin<^  the  world.  It  is  because 
the  Spirit  is  makin<,'  the  real  Christ  known  to 
men  that  so  many  are  led  to  pay  their  highest 
homage  to  the  thorn-crow.ied  King,  and  to  yield 
complete  surrender  to  His   sovereign   will. 

Apart  from  the  work  of  the  Spirit  upon  the 
hearts  of  me  i,  the  inHuence  of  Christ  would  soon 
have  faded  out,  and  Christianity  have  become  a 
speni  force.  Hy  the  coming  of  the  Spirit  the 
spiritual  authority  of  Christ  was  pt-rpetuatcd,  and 
His  authority  made  a  rt-ality  in  human  experi- 
ence. Millions  who  ha\e  never  seen  the  Lord 
have  been  led  to  bow  before  His  invisible  pres- 
ence, and  to  accept  His  will  as  the   absolute   and 

12; 


After  rcntccost,  What? 


unconditional  imperative  in  their  lives.  Receiv- 
ing the  llolv  Spirit  into  their  hearts,  they  have 
subordinated  their  wills  to  the  will  of  llini  whose 
claims  lie  has  pressed  upon  them;  and  liave  put 
the  reins  of  •^'ovirnment  into  His  hands,  j^ivinj^ 
Him  the  same  un<pialilied  control  of  their  lives 
that  the  pilot  has  of  a  ship.  In  vain  does  the 
Spirit  move  upcni  any  soul  unless  He  finally  suc- 
ceeds in  gaininj;  his  unconditional  surrender  to 
the  Man  of  Nazareth. 

4.      The  aiithorUy  of  God  over  men  is  exercised 
by  Christ,  throiioh  the  Holy  Spirit,  hy  fiieans  of 
the  impart  at  ion  of  a  new  principle  and  spirit  of 
obedience.     This  principle  and  spirit  of  obedience 
is  love.      God's  authority  over  man  is  complete, 
His  will  is  done  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven, 
when  man  comes  under  the  dominatinji;  power  of 
the  royal  hnv  of  love,  which  is  the  summation  of 
all  law,  the  essence  of  all  religion.    In  the  old  dis- 
pensation  the  love  of  law  was  incidcated;  in  the 
new  dispensation  love  as  a  law  is  inculcated.    The 
Old  Testament  saint  exclaimed,  "How  love  I  Thy 
law!"  the  New  Testnnvnt  saint  cxclainis,  "Thy 
love  is  my  law."    The  cp.iestion  which  lies  at  the 
heart  of  Christianized   ethics   is,  What  does  love 
demand  ?     Christianity  is  duty  touched  with  love. 
Its  supreme  law   of   righteousness  in  the  house- 
hold, in  social  life,  and  in   the  kingdom  of  God, 

is  love. 

126 


Spiritual  Authority. 

To  awaken  love   in   the  heart,  that  a  center  of 
spiritual  power  may  be  formed    from    which   the 
whole  life   can   he    moveil,  is  the   ethical   aim  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.      He  is  present  in  the   hearts   of 
men  as  a  power  that  makes  for  love,  and  throii^rh 
love    makes    for    rij^hteousness.      "The    lo.e    of 
God"— not   love    like    God's    merely,  Init    (iod's 
own  love  -"is  shed  al)r()ad    in  our    hearts  hy  the 
Holy  Spirit  who  is  j^mvcii    unto    us,''  tliat  a  spirit 
of  obedience  may  be  created  within.      As  a  I)it  of 
themajrnet  itself,  so,  cold,  lifeless  hearts  in.i-iut- 
ized  by  the  Spirit,  through  the   m.inifeslati..n  of 
the  magnet  itself,  so,  coM,  lifeless  hearts  magne- 
tized by   the  Spirit,  through  the  manifestation  of 
Christ  as  the  object  of  sup>-eme  affection,  possess 
something  of  the  very    love  of  (jod.      Christ  as 
the  revelation  of  sovereign  love  is  the  vehicle  of 
sovereign  power.      When  He  takes  the  heart  cap- 
tive He  exerts  an   all-connnanding,  all-constrain- 
ing power  to  bring  the  whole   life   into   harmony 
with  the  divine  will.      The  enthronement  of   His 
love  in  the  heart,  by  the  Spirit,  marks  the  begin- 
ning of   the   spiritual    rule   of    God.      "  If  a  man 
love   Me,"  He   says,  "he   will  keep   My  words." 
Again,  reasoning  from  effect    to   cause,  lie  says, 
"He  that  hath    My  commandments    and    keepLtii 
them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  Me."      Love  in  the  soul 
is  the  soul  of  obedience,  not  because  it  is  a  sub- 

127 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


stitutc  for  it,  Init  because  it  is  the  source  of  it. 
"  Love  is  tlie  fuHiUinn-  of  the  hiw."  It  fills  to  the 
l)rim  the  vessel  of  duty.  It  is  the  only  eoin  in 
whicii  all  manward  and  Godward  ohli<;ations  can 
he  fully  paid.  If  love  he  withiield  the  highest 
riijhts  are  violated,  and  the  holiest  claims  uncan- 
cellech  The  only  life  which  fuliills  the  law  of 
rij^hteousness  is  a  life  in  which  love  is  supreme, 
iiiui  the  only  life  in  which  love  is  supreme  is  a  life 
in  which  Clirist  is  supreme,  and  the  onlv  life  in 
which  Christ  is  supreme  is  a  life  in  which  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  supreme. 

I'he  authority  founded  uj)on  love  is  compatihle 
with  the  hirt^est  possible  freedom.  The  law  of 
love  which  Christ  promul<^ated  and  exemplilied, 
the  law  by  whicli  lie  rules,  is  "the  perfect  law 
of  libertv."  There  is  no  true  freedom  save  in 
conformity  to  His  hiujher  law.  He  is  a  free  man 
\vho  finds  liberty  in  law,  and  law  in  lo\e.  When, 
by  the  incomin<^  of  the  S^jirit,  Christ's  law  of 
love  is  set  up  in  the  heart,  the  soul's  emancipa- 
tion proclamation  is  issued.  "Where  the  Sj)irit 
of  the  Lord  is,  tliere  is  liberty."  \o  one  is  so 
free  as  he  who  has  made  a  full  and  .^lad  surren- 
der to  Christ,  and  is  <^o\erned  from  witiiin  by 
His  law  of  love.  In  law -service  tliere  is  bond- 
a<;e ;  in  love-ser\  ice  there  is  perfect  freedom. 
Loveless  labor  is  drudgery.      Labor  of   love   is   a 

delij^ht. 

128 


Spiritual  Authority, 


In  their  spiritual  dcvelopmcul  inaiiy  Christians 
are  still  in  the  honda^^c  of  Judaism.    'IMnv  arc  not 
under   ^race,  hut    under    the    law.      They  live  in 
the  seveiUh  chapter  of  Koniaus  rather  than  in  the 
ei<,dith;  they  are  in  suhjectioii  to  rulci  as  irksome 
and  f^riiulin,;^  as  those  of   the    Mosaic  system,  de- 
liverance from  which  caused  the  early  Christians 
to  sinji  their  loudest  pe  ins  of  praise.      Li\  in;^  hy 
external   rules   rather  than   hy  inward  piinciples, 
they  are  in  constant  dread  of  doin  ^^  wron;^^     They 
walk  in  a  (iarden  of  i:den  full  of  forliidden  trees; 
they  chafe  against    the   restrictions   llial  environ 
them;  they  camiot  do  the  thing's  they  would,  and 
the  thinj^s  they  feel  compelled  to  ilo  are  hardships. 
Hound  in  everything'  hy  hard  a.nd  fast  rules, their 
very  privilej^es  hecome   restraints,  t'leir   henelits 
hecoine  hurdens.      They  are  serfs,  not  sons;  they 
Uve  under  "  the  covenant  of  works  which  <,n.-nder- 
eth  to  honda<^e."    In  their  experience  the  remark 
of  the   Rev.   15.  Fay  Mills,  the  well  known  cvan- 
j^elist,is  verified,  that  "to  he  aic'^alistic  Christian 
is  harder  than  to  he  a  perfect  jew."      And  worse 
than    all,  whenever    they  attempt    in    reinforce    a 
waning  sense  of  divine  authority, and  stiffen  them- 
selves to  greater  fidelity  to  duty,  instead  of  seek- 
ing to  estahlish  a  more   central;-:cd    form  of   j;<)V- 
ernment   within    their    hearts,  tluy    keep   adtliui,' 
rule   to   rule,    therehy    tij;lUenin-;    the    fetters  hy 

I2C) 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


which  they  are  boiiiul.      W'licn  they  ()U}^ht  to  oc- 


cupy an  imprcf^iu 


k-  stroii'-holil  thcv  s' 


iiicir 


forces  arouiul  an  outtr  wall,  wliiiu  inak^  down 
faster  than  tliey  can  repair  it.  If  lluy  ciilli\ate 
keenness  of  moral  seiuihilily  lluy  luit  iiuna-.e  the 
measure  of  their  sclf-iriniinatioii ;  and  if  tlu}  re- 
double their  efforts  to  oIhv  tlu-  Master's  will 
thev  render  more  hitter  their  sen;  e  of  ihralldoin. 
A  more  inihappy  lot  can  liardly  lu'  iniajMiied  ! 

Very  different  is  the  experiemx' of  I'o^l- Tciile- 
costal  Christians,  who  have  e\cliaii;;ed  the  sla\  ery 
of  the  law  for  the  freedom  of  tlu  gospel.  They 
live  on  thesuimy  side  of  the  narrow  \v;iy.  They 
are  "joyful  in  their  Kin<r,"  They  "deli;^^ht  in 
the  law  f)f  the  Lord  aftt-r  the  inward  man." 
Their  hearts  leap  up  with  eaj^er  response  to  the 
Lord's  comnumds.  In  answir  to  ivcry  call  to 
duty  they  make  rijily,  "  I  (Ulij;lit  to  do  Thy 
will,  O  my  God:  y  a  Thv  law  is  within  my 
heart."  The  service  thev  render  is  not  a  tliinjj 
of  enforced  conscription,  Imt  of  voluntary  ohedi- 
ence ;  it  is  not  a  thin^^  of  outward  compulsion, 
hut  of  inward  impulsion.  A  new  spirit  rei^^ns 
within.  Ohedience  is  spontaneous.  The  yoke 
of  Christ  is  easy  because  it  is  "lined  with  love"; 
His  burden  is  li<]jht  because  love  ^ivis  streni^th 
to  bear  it.  His  law  of  love  has  power  of  enforce- 
ment at  the  heart  of   it.      Christ  Himself  as   the 

130 


Spiritual  Authority 


embodiment  of  love  is  the  center  of  the  circle  of 
o))lij^atioii.  To  the  principles  of  His  j^ospel  life 
is  conformed.  Every  action  is  re<:(ulatetl  hy 
that  inward  law,  which  has  l)een  desij^nated 
"the  law  of  faith."  The  Spirit's  prompt- 
inf^sare  f<jllowed,IIis  voice  obeyed,  until  that  state 
of  complete  cruKipation  is  reached  descrii)etl  by 
Paul  in  the  words,"  If  ye  are  ltd  hy  the  Spirit  ye 
are  not  uniler  the  law."  What  need  of  iron  clad 
vows  and  pled;^es  have  those  who  have  tiie  Spirit 
Himself  for  their  law?  With  them  all  these  child- 
ish thin<fs  have  passed  awav.  Thcv  i)eli)nt;  to  an 
infantile  conditidU  which  thev  have  outi^rown. 
They  are  part  of  tiie  bnrdcusonie  voUe  of  legal- 
ism from  which  they  lia\e  been  mercifully  de- 
livered. No  risk  is  taken  in  allow  in<r  Christians  to 
do  whatever  thev  please,  wlicn  they  please  to  do 
only  what  the  Lord  commands;  no  risk  is  taken 
in  allowing  them  to  be  a  law  unto  themselves 
when  they  faithfully  follow  the  le;ulint^  of  the 
Spirit  in  their  lives.  Aiuhore.l  in  the  immuta- 
ble principles  of  rij;hteousness,  they  can  swing 
widely  with  safety.  There  is  no  danj.^er  that 
they  will  abuse  the  liberty  with  wliich  Christ  has 
made  them  free,  when  all  the  liberty  which  they 
claim  is  liberty  to  ilo  what  is  ri;^ht.  Any  one 
may  be  safely  trusted,  who  can  say,  "  I  will  walk 
at  liberty  because  I  keep  Thy  precepts." 

131 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

The  authority  that  demands  olK-diLMicc  to  prin- 
ciples rather  than  to  spccitic  ruks  must  needs  be 
rational.  It  must  make  its  apprul  to  the  intelli- 
gence of  those  over  whom  it  is  exercised.  Its 
reign  must  be  the  reign  of  reason.  The  service 
which  it  demands  must  be  "  a  reasonal)le  service." 
Divine  commands  are  never  arbitrar}'.  The 
Lord  thanks  no  one  for  yielding  a  blind,  unrea- 
soning obedience  to  His  word.  lie  does  not  ask 
for  subordination  to  Ilis  will  unlil  the  reason  is 
won.  He  permits  us  to  ([uestion  before  we  obev. 
"Who  is  the  Lord  that  He  should  reign  over  us?" 
is  a  permissible  and  pertinent  inipiiry.  In  the 
interpretation  and  application  of  the  written  Word, 
in  which  the  Spirit  has  revealed  His  will,  reason 
has  to  be  exercised.  It  is  not  always  to  be  taken 
literally,  as  if  it  cons-iedof  indisputal)le  axioms. 
Take,  for  example,  the  folU-wing  utterances  uf 
Christ  and  try  to  construe  them  in  a  literal  ^ense: 
"Give  to  him  that  asketh  of  thee,  and  from  him 
that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou  away"; 
"Take  no  thought  for  the  morrow";  "Wash  one 
another's  feet";  "Resist  not  him  that  is  evii,  but 
whosoever  smitelh  thee  on  thy  right  cheek  turn 
to  him  the  other  also";  "When  thou  makeila 
feast  call  not  thy  friends,  nor  tiiy  brc.hreii,  nor 
thy  kinsmen,  nor  thv  rich  neigld)ors,  but  bid 
the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  lame,  and  the   blind." 

1  ^-i 


Spiritual  Authority. 

It  is  not  meant  tliat  we  are  to  eniiJty  onr  jiurse 
into  the  hands  of  any  inipoLiniious  l)rothcr  who 
may  make  preposterous  (Icniancls  upon  us,  but 
that  we  are  to  be  «^enerous-liearteil  towartls  our 
more  unfortunate  fellownien,  .<^i\  in;^  thcin,  in  a 
friendly  way,  all  the  assistance  witliin  our  power; 
it  is  not  meant  that  we  are  to  be  thoui^htless  or 
indifferent  about  the  morrow,  but  tliat  we  arc  to 
take  no  anxious,  worrying,  corrodinj^  lliought 
about  it;  it  is  not  meant  that  wc  are  to  practice 
literal  feet-washin<r,  luit  that  \\  t'  arc  to  manifest 
the  spirit  of  humility  and  Ion  in^-  miiiistr}'  sym- 
bolized in  that  act ;  it  is  not  meant  that  we  are 
never  to  offer  resista\ice  to  wron;^,  but  that  we 
are  not  to  resist  wrong  from  passion  or  revenge, 
or  answer  personal  insult  (jlherwise  than  with 
meekness;  it  is  not  meant  tliat  wo  are  not  to 
gather  our  well-to-do  frieiuls  arounil  our  social 
board,  but  that  in  all  our  social  enjoyments  we 
are  to  be  mindfd  of  the  poor,b  jing  careful  neither 
to  excite  their  envv  nor  to  ex'.'lude  t'  em  from  a 
share  of  our  bounty.  77ial^  in  sul)stance,  is  np.- 
questionably  tlie  meaning  of  tliese  hard  sa\  ing*' 
of  Christ;  and  they  are  neither  umvasonal^lc  nor 
impracticable  when  connuon  sense  is  employed  in 
their  explanation.  I'pcfU  many  perplexing  (pies- 
tions  Christ  gives  no  authoritative  word  what- 
ever.    In  His  teaching  "primal  duties  shine  aloft 

i33 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


like  stars" ;  but  minor  duties  are  often  not  re- 
vealed at  all.  They  are  matters  of  inference.  We 
require  to  reason  them  out.  lie  mij^ht  have  made 
them  plain  to  us,  but  evidently  He  thought  it 
better  to  leave  them  to  our  individual  judgment. 
Among  the  cjuestions  left  open  are  questions  of 
casuistr}',  questions  of  amusement,  and  questions 
touching  the  observance  of  forms  and  customs. 
All  of  these  are  matters  of  conscience  with  the 
individual.  Every  man  must  act  upon  them  ac- 
cording to  his  own  conviction  ;  or  rather,  accord- 
ing to  his  interpretation  of  the  will  of  his  Lord. 
Any  interference  with  the  right  of  private  judg- 
ment within  the  sphere  of  things  in  which  those 
questions  are  eml)raced,  ought  to  be  indignantly 
resented.  "Let  no  man  judge  you  in  meat  or  in 
drink,  or  in  respect  to  a  holy  day,  or  of  tlie  Sab- 
bath days,  which  is  a  shadow  of  things  to  come, 
but  the  body  is  Christ."  Think  for  yourself  ;  act 
for  yourself;  for  without  the  exercise  of  your 
rational  faculties  there  can  be  no  soul-growth. 
Those  who  act  without  reason  remain  in  spirit- 
ual childhood.  It  is  perfectly  litting  tliat  a  father 
upon  leaving  home  should  give  minute  directions 
to  his  little  children,  telling  them  how  t(,>  (ill  up 
their  time  during  his  absence;  but  t<j  his  grown- 
up sons  and  daughters  it  is  enough  ^or  him  to 
say,  "  I  leave  you   to  your  honor;  do  what  you 


T 


Spiritual  Autliority. 

think  is  right."  The  dirtrlioii  which  our  ahsent 
Lord  has  "^iveii  us  is,  "(Xcupy  till  I  come";  do 
whatever  you  thinU  I  wcjuld  have  you  do.  To 
that  all  coniprehendiu;^  comuiaud  nothing  Cf.n  be 
added  that  will  increase  its  signilicance,  or  aug- 
ment its  binding  power.  An  1  when  that  com- 
mand is  ciianged  into  a  pledge,  and  any  one 
solemnly  says,  "  I  promise  to  do  whatever  my 
Lord  would  have  me  do,"  there  he  ought  to  stop. 
Any  addition  to  tiiat  pledge  must  of  necessity 
partake  of  the  nature  of  a  descending  climax. 

It  was  by  following  this  broad  principle  -'f  in- 
terpretation that  I'resitlent  Wayland,  holding  up 
in  his  hand  a  copy  of  tlie  New  Testament,  could 
say,  "This  book  teaciies  mc  bow  to  run  a  col- 
lege." Did  he  lind  in  the  New  Te^,tament  a  com- 
plete system  of  rules  for  college  administration? 
Of  course  not.  Uut  he  b)und  there  certain  great 
ethical  principles  which  an  enlightened  judgment 
could  apply  to  the  whole  round  of  college  admin- 
istration. In  the  same  way  tb.e  Ibble  leaches 
how  to  run  a  f;inn,  or  a  mill,  or  a  railroad.  Par- 
ticular duties  are  iu)t  delined,  but  certain  guiding 
principles  are  furnished  which  sanctilied  com- 
mon sense  can  apply  to  all  the  varied  exigencies 
which  mav  arise  in  complex  conditions  of  social 
life.  Under  the  Spirit's  guidance  we  are  to  make 
intelligent  application  of    the    teachings  of  Jesus 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

to  the  whole  round  of  daily  conduct,  intcrprctin<; 
special  lessons  in  the  \\gh{  of  his  <,'cncral  instruc- 
t!o,!3,  and  difficult  questions  in  the  li«;ht  of  wliat 
ht  ilainly   revealed.      With   the  help  which 

has  L  .  jijiven  of  kno\vin<;  the  mind  of  the  Mas- 
ter, we  are  to  work  our  own  way  through  tiie 
practical  prohlems  which  confront  us;  endeavor- 
ing to  live  in  all  thin<j;s  according  to  the  spirit  of 
His  teachings;  accepting  His  word  as  divinely 
authoritative  hecause  it  is  the  word  of  the  true 
monarch  of  men;  and  howing  in  sweet  su))mis- 
sion  before  the  scepter  of  His  authority  hecause 
it  is  the  scepter  of  sovereign  goodness  and  love. 


136 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE  DISTRinUTION  OF  SPIRITUAL  GIFTS. 

" Heaven  does  with  us  as  we  with  lighted  torches  do. 

Not  light  them  for  themselves." 

Shakespeare. 

E.MKKSON  says  that  "  when  a  man  comes  forth 
from  his  mother's  womb  the  "^ate  of   gifts  closes 
l)ehin(l  liim."     This  is  true  of  natural,  but  not  of 
spiritual  gifts.    ICmerson  forgot  Pentecost.   Since 
Pentecost   the   gate  of   gifts   stands   open   before 
every  man.      When   Cln-ist  ascended  up  on  high, 
leading  captivity  captive,  "  He  gave  gifts  to  man- 
kind."    (Eph.  iv.  8.)     The  spoils  He  won  He 
scattered  as  a  royal  largess.  On  the  day  of  Pentecost 
the  first  great  distribution  took  place.   The  Spirit 
was  parted  to  the  disciples  as  each  one  had  need. 
He    appeared    upon    them    as  "tongues    parting 
asunder,  like    as    of   fire";    tongues   distributing 
themselves   among   them.      It  is    not   meant   that 
each    tongue    was   cleft   or    forked,  but  that  one 
name  of  lire  was  divided  up,  so  that  there  rested 
"a  glorious  crown  on  every  sainted  head." 

What  the  writer  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews 
distinctly  calls  "the  distributions  of  the  Holy 
Spirit"  (Chap.   ii.   4)    still  goes  on.     The  gifts 

137 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


of  the  Spirit  arc  notj^nvt-n  iulmlk,  but  "in  divers 
portions."     They  are  put   up   in  p(>rtal)k-,  usable 
form.      The  one  estate  is  broken  up  and  parcelle<' 
out  anion^   the   several   heirs;  tlie  one  stream  ii' 
divided  into  many  streamlets  which  water  separ- 
ate fields,  and  find  their  way  down   separate  fur- 
rows.     There  is  no  l)elievin<(  heart  that  does  not 
receive  its  appropriate  portion.    All  are  partakers 
of  "the  self-same  Spirit";  all  draw  from  the  self- 
same  fountain;  all   are   moved   by  the  self-same 
power.      Gift    and     jijiver    are    one.      The    Holy 
Spirit,  whom    Irenicus  describes  as  "  the  divider 
and  distributor  of  the  jj^ift  of  life,"  j^ivcs  Himself 
to  all   believers.      Indeed,  the   one    thin^    which 
distini£uishes  Christians    from    tlie   world   is  the 
possession  of  the  Holy  Spirit.      In  the  apostolic 
benediction,  "  Tlie  communion  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
be   with  you    all"  {2  Cor.    xiii.   14),  reference    is 
made    to    universal    participation    in    the    Spirit 
rather  than  universal  fellowship  with  Him.   The 
idea  is,  "May  the  co>?in///iiicatioii  of  the  Spirit  be 
enjoyed  by  you  all" ;  may  you  all  partake  in  com- 
mon of  the  gifts  whicii  He  has  to  bestow.      See- 
ing He  has    something    to    communicate    to   all, 
let  every  one  see  to   it   tliat  he   gets   the    special 
blessing  intended  for  him. 

It  is  implied    that   altliough    all    Christians  re- 
ceive the  gift  of  the   Spirit,  and   the  gifts  of  the 

138 


The  Distribution  of  Spiritual  Gifts. 

Spirit,  all  do  not  receive  the  ^Mft  of  the  Spirit  in 
the  same  measure,  and  all  do  not  receive  the  same 
kind  of  spiritual  i,Mfts.      All    are    Wiou-^'ht   upon 
by  the  same  Power,  but  all  are  not  wrou^^ht  upon 
to  the  same  dej^ree,  or   to   the   production  of  the 
same  results.    "  There  are  diversities  of  jj;ifts,  but 
the   same    Spirit.      And   there   are  diversities  of 
ministrations,  hut  the  same  Lord.    And  there  are 
diversities  of  workings,  but   the   same    (iod  who 
worketh  all  thin-;s    in   all."     (i    Cor.    xii.    \-6.) 
To  adopt  the  beautiful  figure  of  Cyril  of  Jerusa- 
lem, "One  and  the  same  rain   comes   down   upon 
all  the  earth,  yet   it   becomes   while    in    the   lily, 
and  red  in  the  rose,  and  purple  in  the  violets  and 
pansies,  and   different  and  various  in  all  the  sev- 
eral kinds.      It  is  one  thing  in  the  palm  tree,  and 
another  in  the  vine,  and  all  in  all  things.      Thus 
also  the  Holy  Spirit,  one   and    uniform   aud    un- 
divided in  Himself,  distributes  His  grace  to  every 
man  as  He  wills,"  dowering  him  with  ordinary 
or  extraordinary  gifts    according   to    the  work  to 
which  He  has  appointed  him. 

The  distribution  of  the  divine  charismata,  or 
"grace-gifts,"  is  thus  described  in  i  Cor.  12.  S-i  i  : 
"To  one  is  gi\en  through  the  Spirit ///<'  zvord  of 
ivisdoin;'  that  is,  the  gift  of  spiritual  iUumiiuition 
and  intuitive  perception,  which  enables  him  to  ap- 
prehend truth  at  lirst-hand,  and  become  the  organ 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


of  its  revelation  ;"  aiult()an()tlier/'//('  -vord  of  knowl- 
edge by  the  selfsame  Spirit,"  tliat  is,  the  <;ift  of 
understand in^  and  explainin.;  tie  deeper  triitb.s 
of  revelation,  and  sln)\vin54  llifir  liaruionv  witii 
one  another  as  j)arts  of  one  related  and  orj^anic 
whole;  "  to  anotr.er /ic////  in  tlie  same  Spirit,"  that 
is,  the  gift  of  spiritual  \  ision  and  ap-proprialion, 
the  power  to  see  and  seize  the  re.dities  of  the  un- 
seen worM  ;  "to  another  i,'//?.s  (■>/''//(■(.'//// ^'-  in  the 
one  Spirit,"  tiiat  is,  ability  as  the  Spirit's  me- 
dium to  im[)arl  therajieutic  impulse  that  disease 
may  be  expelled  from  the  hoilv,  and  the  v.hole 
man  restored  to  the  divine  order;  "  to  another 
workings  of  i;/iraclcs^^W\',i\.  is, the  worUin^of  t'.iose 
"powers"  of  the  Spirit  by  wiiieh  the  mastery 
over  the  physical  is  Lfained,  and  man's  headsldp 
over  creation  is  made  a  realitv;  "and  to  iuiother 
prop/iccy,^''  that  is, the  tfift  of  seership,  the  p'ower 
of  divinin;^  truth  and  fortiitellin;^  it,  and  thus  of 
speakin<:^  authoritatively  to  men  as  a  spirit-voice 
from  the  hi;;her  world  ;  "to  another  (fi'sccniiiig 
oj  spirits^''''  that  is,  the  ])o\ver  of  di^tin<;■nishing■ 
between  <^ood  and  evil  spirits, and  bttwein  the  ut- 
terances prompted  by  the  I  loly  Spirit,  iiid  the  s|-irit 
of  evil ;"  to  anotiier  divers  ki/ii/s  of  /'r'//.f;7/r.v,''that  is 
power  to  speak  willi  "different,"  not  witli  "other 
touijues,"--  not  power  to  speak  fore i},ni  languages 
without  havin;^  learned  thi  ni,  sui  h  as  was  given 

140 


The  Distribution  o£  Spiritual  Gifts. 

to  the  Apostles  on  the  duy  of  Pentecost,  but  power 
to  speak  as  the  sul)jecls  of  a  diviiK  afllatus  an  un- 
known lan^niaj^eof  the  soul, made  intelli<<il)le  only 
by  supernalur.il  interpretation;  "  and  to  another 
the  inter prdat ion  of  long-iics;''  Lhat  is,  power  to 
brinj^the  unknown  speech  of  holy  ecstasy, in  what- 
ever form  it  may  be  expressed,  down  to  the  com- 
prehension of  the  nniniliatcd.  This  list  of  j^ifts  is 
by  no  means  complete-.  If  wrilleu  for  the  pres-  ^ 
ent  day  it  would  re [u ire  to  be  revised. 

Of  these  j^racious  endowments  it  is  said,  "All 
these  worketh  tlie  one  and  llie  same  Spirit,  divid- 
ing   to    each    one    severally    as   He   will."      The 
Spirit's     soverei>nity    is    abs(iUite.      He    bestows 
His  •,nfts  upon  alias  He  will;   He  works  in  all  as 
He  will.    He  is  not  tied  down  by  any  past  methods 
of  administration;   He  is  free  to  <;ive  or  to  with- 
hold the  <,'ifts  of  His  ,i,rrace,  just  as   He  deems  it 
best  for  the  interest  of  His   churcb       Some   gifts 
are  temporary  ;  others  c  ease   for  a  time,  to  reap- 
pear afterwards.      To  meet   new  conditions  new 
gifts   are    addc<l;  old    gifts   become    modilled    in 
their  manifestation  so  that  they-  seem  new.      The 
number   and   nature  of  the    Spirit's    gifts  always 
coincide    with   the  needs  of  the  tinges.      A  gift  is 
discontinued    when    il   is   no   longer   re(piired;  a 
new    gift    is    ;idded   when   a  demand    for   it    has 
arisen.      Spiritual  gifts,  being  essential,  are  per- 

141 


T 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

petual.  Like  natural  jjifts,  they  are  divided  and 
operated  by  the  sovereij^n  Spirit;  not,  however, 
in  an  arbitrary  way,  but  in  harmony  with  natural 
disposition  and  capacity.  The  spiritual  is 
grounded  in  the  natural.  When  spiritual  jj^ifts 
are  bestowed,  natural  peculiarities,  instead  of  be- 
ing obliterated,  are  intensilied  and  eidar<,a'd.  By 
their  exercise  natural  j)owers  are  stimulated  to 
their  highest  activity,  and  br()UL;ht  to  lluir  high- 
est development.  Hut  care  must  be  taken  to  dis- 
tinguish between  the  improvenient  of  natural 
powers,  and  the  higher  gifts  of  the  Spirit  them- 
selves. Improved  natural  gifts  arc  no  more 
spiritual  gifts  than  an  inip/roNed  nalui-a!  nian  is  a 
spiritual  man.  vSpiritual  gifts  arc'  special  endow- 
ments, and  are  characteristic  signs  of  a  state  of 
grace. 

In  the  distribution  of  spiritual  gifts  variety  is 
secured  at  any  cost.  God  has  been  at  as  great 
pains  to  secure  variety  in  the  s]iiritual  world  as 
He  has  been  to  secure  variety  in  tlie  natural  world. 
When  a  man  comes  into  bi'ing  the  mould  in  wliich 
he  is  made  is  broken,  so  that  tlure  may  not  be 
another  exactly  like  him;  and  when  a  man  comes 
into  the  divine  life  he  is  furnish  'l  with  gifts 
which  no  one  else  possesses,  and  hence  he  is  fitted 
to  fill  a  place  which  no  one  else  can  occupy,  and 
to  do  a  work  which  no  one  else  can  do.      Gifts 

142 


The  Distribution  of  Spiritual  Gifts. 


define  duties.  No  two  people  were  ever  meant 
to  render  precisely  the  same  service.  Each  one 
is  fitted  for  some  special  form  of  activity  supple- 
mental of  the  work  of  others.  God  evidently  saw 
that  a  variety  of  j^ifts  would  secure  the  hest  re- 
sults. In  the  smallest  church  what  a  wonilerful 
variety  of  j^ifts  are  to  he  found!  (Jne  memher  is 
"apt  to  teach,"  anotlier  possesses  an  elociuent 
tongue,  another  scholarly  tastes  and  aptitudes, 
another  husiness  (jualilies, anotlier  musical  talents, 
anotlier  administrative  power,  anotlier  the  genius 
of  symjxithy, another  tlie  gift  of  social  leadership, 
and  thus  the  whole  circle  of  Christian  service  is 
emhraced,  and  the  church  is  enahletl  to  edify  her- 
self in  love,  and  to  fulfill  her  work  of  ministrv  to 
the  world.  Each  man  should  make  the  hest  pos- 
sihle  use  of  what  he  has;  he  should  he  himself; 
he  should  act  out  himself,  and  neither  ape  nor 
envy  the  gifts  of  others;  he  should  find  the  ideal 
of  his  life  in  the  di\  ine  idea  expressed  in  his  na- 
ture; he  shouhl  strive  to  he  the  man  that  God 
meant  him  to  he,  and  to  do  the  work  that  God 
meant  him  to  do.  Mucii  of  the  misery  of  life ' 
comes  from  the  round  man  trying  to  s<|uceze  him- 
self into  the  square  hole,  and  the  scpiare  man  into 
the  round  hole.  Take  hy  way  of  illustration  two 
men  of  very  different  types — President  Finney 
and  Samuel  Rutherford.      President  Finney  was 

I  13 


After  I'cnlocost,  What? 

"a  galvanic  battery  on  two  k'^s,"  emitting  shocks 
of  convicting  power  ami  causing  sinners  to  cry 
oiit,  "What  must  I  tlo  to  he  saved?"  Samuel 
llntlierford — "sweet  Samuel,"  as  he  was  called 
hy  his  friends — was  a  gentle, retiring  saint,  whose 
inlluence  distilled  as  llie  dew.  Speaking  of  his 
work  in  his  little  parish  of  Anworth,  he  says: 
"  I  see  exceedingly  small  fruit  of  my  ministry; 
I  would  he  ghul  of  one  soul  to  he  a  crown  of 
glory  and  rejoicing  in  the  day  of  Christ.  I  havt 
a  grieved  heart  daily  in  my  calling."  We  know 
that  there  was  no  ground  whatever  for  this  self- 
crimiiiation.  His  was  not  the  evangelistic  gift, 
hut  the  gift  of  editication.  The  writings  of  this 
"true  saint  of  the  Covenant"  have  exerted  a  com- 
forting and  confirming  inlluence,  and  his  name, 
which  was  as  "ointment  poured  forth,"  has  filled 
the  world  with  its  fragrance.  And  just  because 
the  gifts  of  (jod  are  sodiNerse,  we  are  to  be  care- 
ful not  to  judge  of  others  by  our  own  standard, 
or  depreciate  or  despise  gifts  differing  from  our 
own.  God  often  uses  people  for  whom  w-'  have 
no  use;  He  often  selects  instruments  that  we 
would  discard.  He  takes  the  weak  things  to  con- 
found the  mighty;  He  takes  the  Salvation  Army 
to  put  the  church  to  shame;  "  vea,  the  base  things 
of  the  world  and  ilu;  things  that  are  despised  hath 
God   chosen,  yea,   and    the   things   that  arc    not, 

144 


Tlie  Distribution  of  Spiritual  Gifts. 

that  He  ini<^ht  hriiifj  to  nou<,'ht  the  thiiij^s  that 
are;  that  no  Hesh  should  ^l(jry  i)efore  (lod." 
There  are  places  where  lie  can  make  better  use 
of  the  ooiisecrated  cobbler  than  of  the  most  learned 
divine.  When  He  has  the  directinj^  of  thin<;sthe 
judj^ments  of  men  may  l)e  reversed,  but  every 
man  will  lind  his  proper  phice  and  his  proper 
work. 

Our  conception  of  the  vSpirit's  operations  re- 
quires to  be  widened,  so  that  it  shall  be  made  to 
inchuie,  not  only  what  is  <^enerallv  desij^nated  re- 
lij^ious  work,  but  also  the  whole  ranj^c  of  useful 
activity.  One  divine  motor  forte  drives  all  kinds 
of  machinery ;  one  divine  inbreathing^  inspires 
men  for  diversified  ends.  Holy  men  of  to-day 
speak  ami  write  and  work  as  they  are  moved  by 
the  Holy  Spirit.  They  are  acted  upon  alonj^  the 
lines  of  their  daily  calling.  The  men  of  to-day 
are  inspired  for  the  work  of  to-day.  When, 
therefore,  we  read  that  Hezaleel,  the  architect  of 
tile  tabernacle,  was  "  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God, 
in  wisdom,  and  in  undcrstandin;^^  and  in  knowl- 
edge, and  in  all  manner  of  workmanship,  to  de- 
vise cunning  works,  to  work  in  gold,  and  in  sil- 
ver, and  in  brass,  and  in  costlv  stones  of  setting, 
and  in  carving  of  wood,  to  work  in  all  manner  of 
workmanship"  (Exod.  xxxi.  3-5),  wc  arc  not  to 
think  that  the  Spirit  of  God  camr.  closer  to  him 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


than  lie  comes  to  the  rest  of  men,  or  that  He 
gave  to  hhn  more  efhcient  help  tlian  He  is  in  the 
hahit  of  giving  to  jvery  consecrated  worker. 
The  incidents  of  time  and  place  do  not  affect  the 
r' lation  of  men  to  God.  The  same  divine  Spirit 
who  gave  skill  to  IJev-aleel  in  the  construction  of 
the  tahernacle  inspired  IMicliacl  Angelo  to  huild 
St.  Peter's,  and  Christopher  Wren  to  huild  St. 
Paul's;  the  same  divine  Sjjiril  who  illumined  the 
minds  of  ancient  hariis  anil  seers  illumines  tlic 
minds  ot  modern  roets  and  painters;  the  same 
divine  Spirit  who  gave  wisdom  to  Solomon  to 
huild  the  temple  i^avc  wisdom  to  Watts  to  invent 
the  steam-eng'^nc,  to  Morse  to  invent  the  tele- 
graph, to  Bell  to  invent  the  telephone,  and  to  Edi- 
son to  invent  the  phonograph;  tiie  same  divine 
Spirit  who  ga\  e  to  Daniel  th  it  practical  sagacity 
in  statescraft  that  led  Nehuchadne/zar  to  cliarac- 
terizehim  as  "  a  man  in  wlnm  is  the  spirit  of  the 
holy  gods,"  is  not  only  in  nicn  like  Cjlatlstone, 
"  England's  uncrowned  king,"  hut  also  in  men  who 
serve  on  a  village  school-hoard;  the  same  divine 
Spirit  who  spake  in  and  through  the  apostle  Paul 
speaks  in  and  through  the  humblest  Sunday- 
school  teacher,  whose  heart  is  ke]-:  open  to  His 
influence.  The  Holy  vSpirit  is  for  ordinary  peo- 
ple no  less  than  for  geniuses;  for  the  obscurest 
toiler  no  less  than  for  the  discoverer  of  nature's 

146 


The  Distribution  of  Spiritual  Gifts. 


secrt-ts  whose  life-work  marks  an  epoch  in  the 
world's  hij:tory.  lie  is  ever  working  with  men 
in  the  common  relations  and  activities  of  their 
lives.  The  clear  head  and  cunning  hand  are  from 
Ilim.  "There  is  a  spirii  'n  man  and  the  breath 
of  the  Almigiity  giveth  him  undci>Aanding." 
(Job  xxxii.  8.)  Over  r.-^ainst  every  man's  powers 
and  capacities  are  the  Spirit's  manifold  intluences 
•md  oix.-rationii.  By  the  help  which  He  renders 
in  natural  ways  lie  puts  all  men  under  a  deeper 
debt  of  obligation  tiiau  they  can  ever  know. 
Those  who  allow  Him  to  help  them  most  please 
Him  best;  for  just  in  proportion  as  human  lives 
arc  tilled,  and  moved,  aiul  moulded  by  Him  are 
thev  redeemed  from  insij:nificance  and  failure. 
Never  is  the  Spirit  mt^re  glorified  tlian  in  the 
increased  usefulness  of  those  who  receive  the 
larger  gifts  which  He  proffers,  and  le;irn  to  do 
the  smallest  things  in  the  largest  way. 

As  we  ascend  in  the  scale  of  being  we  find 
greater  diversity  and  complexity.  The  more 
hio-hlv  orsjiini/ed  societv  becomes,  the  more 
complex  it  becomes;  the  more  cojrjtlex  it  be- 
comes, liie  more  do  its  wants  mui.  ,[  'y  ;  and  the 
more  its  wants  nndtiply,  the  greater  is  the  \  arioty 
of  gifts  deni;nuled  to  supply  them.  In  order  to 
overtake  the  rapidly  multiplying  wants  of  society 
new  spheres  of  activity  are  continually  opening 

'17 


After  Pentecost,  Whati 


up,  new  sulnli visions  of  labor  arc  continually  bc- 
in<;-    niiulc.      Specialists   are   more   and    more    in 
order.      Any  man  who  would   make   his  life  tell 
for  good  has  to  resist  many  stronj>j  temptations  to 
squander  his  ener<,nes;  he  has  resolutely  to  limit 
the  area  of  his  efforts,  saying:     "  This  one  thing 
I  do."     The  same  complexity  found  in  the  society 
of  to-day  is  found  in  the  church  of  today.   Chris- 
tian work  was  never  more   diversified  than  it  is 
now.      A   greater  diversity   of  work  demands  a 
greater  variety  of  gifts.      In  the  enlarging  fields 
of  Christian  service  specialists  arc  just  as  imper- 
atively needed  as  they  are  in  the  business  world. 
There  are  places  which  can  be  successfully  filled 
onlv  by  trained  experts.      If,  therefore,  spiritual 
gifts  are  to  be  bestowed  according  to  the  work  to 
be  done,  a  wider  and  more  varied  form  of   inspi- 
ration is  called   for.      Specialized  work  denmnds 
specialized  endowments.    Diverse  work  demands 
divers  gifts.      Never  had  the  figure  of  the  seven- 
branched  candlestick, by  which  the  Seer  of  Patmos 
illustrates  the  fullness  and  variety  of  the  Spirit's 
operations,  more  significance  than  it  has  to-day. 
The  seven  lamps  of  fire  burning  before  the  throne 
are  the  seven  Spirits  of  (iod;  or,  more  correctly, 
they  arc  the  seven-fold   .Spirit  of    God,  who,  in 
His  manifold  operations,  is  sustaining  spiritual 
life,  communicating  spiritual  power,  and  impart- 

148 


wgBS—ssirs^^sm 


The  Distribution  of  Spiritual  Gifts. 


ing  a  ilivcrsity  of  spiritual  gifts  sulFicient  to 
qualify  all  who  receive  them  to  fill  up  that  which 
remains  of  the  ministration  of  Christ  to  the 
world. 

In  this  diversity  of  gifts  there  is  unity  of  pur- 
pose and  action.  The  seven  hranches  of  the  one 
candel.ibrum  are  joined  to  the  same  upright  shaft, 
and  fed  from  the  same  bowl ;  but  the  separate 
lamps  which  they  support  blend  their  light  into 
one.  "  The  body  is  not  one  member,  but  many, 
and  all  members  have  not  the  same  office,"  but 
all  are  indwelt  by  the  same  spirit,  controlled  by 
the  same  head,  and  work  out  tlie  same  ends.  The 
church,  the  body  of  Christ,  is  an  organic  whole. 
Its  work  is  one.  All  its  mcmb  >  should  work 
in  harmony  and  be  mutually  helpful  in  their  com- 
mon work.  No  tne  has  a  right  to  say  to  another, 
"I  have  no  need  of  you."  All  are  needful.  Com- 
parisons as  to  value  of  service  are  odious.  Each 
one  in  his  place  is  best.  The  one  who  digs  the 
foundation  is  just  as  useful  as  the  one  who  builds 
the  wall.  Abraham  Lincoln  naively  remarked, 
"God  must  like  common  people.  He  made  so 
many  of  them."  He  must  also  like  common 
gifts,  seeing  that  He  has  bestowed  so  man'y  of 
them.  It  is  by  the  united  efforts  of  common  peo- 
ple that  the  bulk  of  the  world's  work  is  done; 
and  it  is  by  the  union  of  the  common  gifts  of  the 

149 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


Spirit  that  the  bulk  of  the  work  of  the  church  is 
done.  "Covet  earnestly  the  liest  j^ifts,"  means, 
"  Covet  earnestly  the  gifts  of  the  inner  life  which 
all  Christians  hold  in  common."  "Covet  ear- 
nestly the  best  gift,"  means,  covet  earjiestly  the 
crowning  gift  of  heavenly  love,  which  moves  all 
Christian  hearts  by  a  common  impulse,  and  unites 
all  Christian  hands  in  a  common  service. 

The  diversified  gifts  of  the  Spirit  are  means, 
not  ends.  When  they  are  made  ends  in  them- 
selves, when  they  are  idolized  and  ambitiously 
sought  after,  grave  evils  are  sure  to  arise.  The 
desire  to  possess  the  Holy  .Spirit  without  being 
possessed  by  Ilim,  to  use  Ilim  for  our  own  ends 
without  being  used  l)y  Ilim  for  His  ends,  is  essen- 
tiallv  the  sin  for  which  Simon  ^lagus  was  re- 
buked  when  he  sought  to  purchase  the  power  to 
convey  the  miraculous  gifts  of  the  Spirit  to  others. 
Not  only  is  the  Holy  Spirit  for  us,  we  ^rc 
for  the  Holy  .Spirit.  H  all  that  He  has  is 
ours,  all  that  we  have  is  His.  Hence  the 
constant  need  of  reiterating  the  exhortation 
of  Paul  to  the  Corinthians:  ".Since  ye  are  zeal- 
ous of  spiritual  gifts,  seek  that  ye  may  abound 
inito  the  edifying  of  the  church."  (i  Cor.  xiv. 
12.)  No  gift  is  given  for  the  exclusive  benefit 
of  its  possessor;  but  for  the  benefit  of  others  also. 
"  The  manifestation  of  the  Sj^irit  is  given  to  every 

ISO 


■ 


mmmmmm 


The  Distribution  of  Spiritual  Gifts. 

man  to  profit  withal";  it  is   given   for   his    own 
personal  profit,  but  it  is  <^rivcn  also  with  the  view 
of  makinj^  his   life   profitable   to   God   and  man. 
What  is  triven  at  first  as  an   inward   illumination 
is   to    become  a   public   lij,'ht.      "As   every    man 
hath  received  the  j>^ift,  so  let  him  minister,  as  good 
stewards  of  the  manifold  grace  of   God."     The 
L'ift  of    which   he    is   already    in    possession,  the 
gift    which    is   peculiarly  his    own,  is   not   to  be 
used  for  selfish  ends,  but  is  to  be  made  a  blessing 
to  the  world.      To  tie  it  up  in  a  napkin  and  hide 
it  in  the  ground    is    not   modesty,  it  is  sin.      All 
God's  gifts  are  given  that  they  may  be  imparted. 
They   are   to   be   held    in    trust  in  the  behoof  of 
others,  and    ministered   to   them  as   any   one  has 
jieed.     The  possession  of  great  natural  gifts  does 
not  necessarily  make  any  one  a  better  man.    Gifted 
men  are  often  graceless.      Nor  is  the  possession 
of  supernatural  gifts  necessarily  a  sign  of  extra- 
ordinary piety.      It  is  often  connected  with  moral 
infirmities.      Gifts  are  graces  only  when  they  are 
consecrated    to   high    and    noble    ends.      The  su- 
preme   test  of    the  value   of  a  life    is   the   use    to 
which  its  gifts  are   put.      The  model  saint  is  not 
a  ([uietist  lingering    in    his  closet,  in  the  solitary 
and  selfish  enjoyment  of  religious  delights;  he  is 
not  an  adept  of  the   occult   sitting    in    silent  con- 
templation   looking    out    into    the    infinities,    or 


After  Pentecost,  What? 

looking  down  into  the  abysmal  depths  of  his  own 
being ;  but  one  who  goes   forth  from   the  secret 
place  of  the  Most  High   to  battle  for  the  right, 
and  to  scatter  blessings  broadcast  over  this  sin- 
cursed  world.      Every  spiritual  gift  is  a  practical 
power — something  that  is  to   be   employed    for  a 
good  end.      All  who  share  in  the  distribution  of 
the  gifts  of  the  Holy  wSpirit,  share  in  the  distri- 
bution of  His  mercies  to  others.     They  are  His 
assistants    in   dispensing   spiritual   blessing    to  a 
needy  world.      The  exercise  of  their  gifts  is  the 
exercise   of   His   beneficence.      All  that    they  do 
for  the  edification  of  the  church,  and    for   the  re- 
demption of   the  world,  is  done  by  virtue  of  the 
c/iarismata  which  they  have  derived  from  Him. 
All  they  give  to  the  world  they  give  as  His  al- 
moners.     In  themselves  they  have  no  resources. 
They  merely  distribute  the  bread  with  which  He 
fills  their  empty  hands ;  they  are  the  earthen  ves- 
sels into  which,  auvl  out  of  which,  His  heavenly 
treasures    are    poured;    they     are    the  mediums 
through  whom  He  is  giving  Himself  perpetually 
for  the  life  of  the  world. 


152 


CHAPTER  XI. 

SPIRITUAL    OPERATIONS. 

•'The  outward  word  is  good  and  true, 
But  inward  power  alone  makes  new; 
Not  even  Christ  can  save  from  sin  ^^ 
Until  He  comes  and  wotks  within." 

The    interior   and   spiritual    method  of  divine 
activity  which    is   now  in   operation   dates    from 
Pentecost.      The  soul  of  man  was  then  opened  by 
the  Spirit  to  the  influence  of  Christ,  and  an  in- 
w^^rd,  subjective  work  was  he«^un  upon  it  which 
goes  on  without  cessation.  By  the  Spirit  commu- 
nication was  formed  between  Christ  and  men,  that 
He  might  gain  dominion  over  them   and  become 
a  saving    power    in    their   lives.      It  is  a  mistake 
to  regard  this  inward  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
as  "replacing   the   earthly    action  of   Christ,"  as 
Van  Osterzee  does.      It   is  the  means  by  which 
His  action  is  continued;  the  means  by  which  lie 
is  made   to   live    in  others;  the   means  by  which 
His  inlluence  is  propagated  from  age  to  ago.    "  As 
Christ  fu!rdled  the  will  and  work  of  the   Father 
upon  earth,  so  does  the    Hoi,   Spirit   administer 
the  work  and  will  of  C  -ist  in  human  souls."* 
He  is  the  perkcjdiuTl^ncMrU^ofjlivinc  activity 

~i;ai^Saving'Tr'aths  of  Chtislianily,"    F.rnst  Lutl.ar'dt,  D.  D.,  p. 
177- 


After  Pentecost,  What? 

by  which  the  life  of  Christ  is  conveyed  to  the 
spirit  of  man;  the  metUum  throiij^di  whom  the 
vibrations  of  vital  power  wiiich  proceed  from 
Christ  get  into  man. 

The  work  which  Christ  is  now  doing  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  within  the  spirit  of  man  assnmes  a 
great  variety  of  aspects,  and  each  separate  aspect 
represents  the  impartation  of  a  distinct  spiritual 
blessing.  These  rich  and  varied  spiritual  bless- 
ings, ministered  by  the  hand  of  the  Spirit,  and 
set  forth  in  the  scriptural  aspects  of  His  work, 
we  shall  now  consider. 

CONVICTING. 

Describing  the  mission  of  the  Comforter,  Jesus 
says:  "And  He,  when  He  is  come,  will  convict 
the  world  in  respect  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness, 
and  of  judgment."  (John  xvi.  8.)  He  has  come, 
and  is  now  prosecuting  this  world-wide  work ; 
wakinof  the  moral  nature  of  man  from  its  deadly 
slumber  by  flashing  upon  it  the  light  of  Cod's 
holy  law  ;  summoning  every  man  before  the  bar 
of  his  own  conscience,  passing  upon  him,  as  in- 
ward judge,  the  sentence  of  condemnation,  and 
causing  him  to  stand  guilty  in  his  inner  conscious- 
ness before  God.  The  preacher  of  the  gospel 
ought  therefore  to  take  it  for  granted  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  always  goes  ahead  of  him,  preparing 
men  to  accept  the  sovereign  remedy  proffered  in 

IS4 


Spiritual  Operations. 

heaven's  name,  by  revealing   to   them   their  dis- 
eased and  dying  condition.      To  the  universality 
of  the  Spirit's  convicting  work  human  conscious- 
ness bears  unequivocal  testimony.     Bishop  Tho- 
burn,of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  declares 
that  during  a  lung  term  of  missionary  service  in 
India  he  never  met  a  single  person  who,  when 
closely  pressed,  would  not  acknowledge  his  con- 
sciousness of   guilt.      Often   when   preaching   in 
the  bazaars  and  streets  he  has  asked  the  people  if 
they  did  not  know  that  they  were  sinners,  and  in 
no  instance   was  the  hard   impeachment  <lenied. 
Is  not  this  what  we  might  expect  with  the  dis- 
tinct promise  before  us  that  the  Spirit,  when  He 
came,  would   bring   home  the    fact  of   sin  to  the 
world's  conscience  ?      If  Jesus  said  that  the  Spirit 
would  do  a  certain  work,  is  it  not  safe  to  ass.ime 

that  He  is  doing  it? 

The  promise  is  explicit;  the  Spirit,  at  His 
coming,  was  to  "convict  of  sin";  not  of  sinful- 
ness  only,  but  of  sin;  of  sin  in  its  inner  princi- 
ple and' essence,  and  of  sin  in  tlie  concrete  as  a 
damning  reality  in  the  life.  This  conviction  of 
sin,  althougii  in  a  measure  independent  of  the 
historical  facts  of  Christ's  life  and  death,  was 
now  to  come  chiefly  through  them.  The  rea- 
son given  by  Jesus  why  the  Spirit  would  con- 
vict  mru  of  sin  is,  "  Because  they  believe  not  on 


After  PentCLOst,  What? 


Me";  unbelief  in  Iliin  as  the  Son  of  God  being 
regarded  as  the  ground  of  guilt,  rather  than  as 
the  source  and  tap-root  of  sin.  The  meaning  of 
these  words  is  not  exhausted  in  the  idea  that  the 
death  of  Christ  gives  a  new  conception  of  sin, 
nor  even  in  the  idea  that  in  the  revelation  of 
Christ  by  the  Spirit  there  is  the  application  of  a 
new  moral  test  —the  revelation  of  the  ideal  dis- 
closing the  imperfection  of  the  actual;  unbelief 
is  itself  the  sin  of  which  the  Spirit  convicts,  as 
it  is  also  the  sin  which  brings  the  soul  under  con- 
demnation; "for  this  is  the  condemnation"  of  the 
present  age,  "that  light  has  come  into  the  world, 
and  men  love  darkness  rather  than  light,  because 
their  deeds  are  evil." 

He  was  also  to  "convict  of  righteousness";  of 
the  need  of  it,  of  the  lack  of  it,  of  the  source  of 
it,  and  especially  of  its  perfect  embodiment  in 
Jesus  Christ,  "lie  will  convict  of  righteous- 
ness," says  Jesus,  "because  I  go  to  the  Father, 
and  ye  see  Me  no  more"  ;  His  return  to  the  Father 
demonstrating  to  the  vvorld  that,  although  re- 
jected of  man,  He  was  not  a  sinner,  but  "the 
Righteous  One,"  upon  whom  was  set  the  seal  of 
divine  approval;  the  one  in  whom  is  realized  the 
ideal  righteousness  which  is  the  law  of  human 
life;  the  one  who  by  the  completion  of  His  work 
and  His  ascension  to  the  Father  presents  a  new 


Spiritual  Operations. 


type  of  rif^htcousncss  by  which  men  are  to  be 
judged.  Professor  Henry  Drunimond  makes  the 
fruitful  suggestion  that  at  certain  times  one  par- 
ticular form  of  the  convicting  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  receives  special  emphasis,  and  he  advances 
the  opinion  that  in  the  present  day  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  specially  convicting  men  of  righteousness. 
May  not  this  explain,  in  part,  the  absence  of  deep 
conviction  of  sin,  which  many  deplore? 

He  was  likewise  to  "convict  of  judgment"; 
making  it  real  and  vivid,  showing  that  it  is  some- 
thing from  which  there  is  no  possible  escape, 
something  already  begun ;  a  process  now  going 
on  rather  than  a  dramatic  act  at  the  '.nd  of  life. 
He  will  convict  of  judgment,  says  Jesiis,  "because 
the  prince  of  this  world  hath  been  "udged";  the 
fact  that  the  prince  of  this  world  hr.s  been  judged 
already  proving  that  juilgment  is  present  and  con- 
tinuous, and  tiiat  all  men  now  stand  before  the 
judgment  seat  of  Christ. 

What  wealth  of  suggestiveness  there  is  in  the 
statement  that  the  Convictor  of  sin  is  the  Com- 
forter of  the  sinner!  The  comparison  must  not, 
however,  be  pressed  too  hard,  for  the  word  trans- 
lated Comforter  is  elastic  and  may  be  rendered 
Advocate,  or  Helper.  Literally  it  means  "one 
called  to  the  side  of  another"  to  act  for  him,  to 
speak  for  him,  to  strengthen  him,  to  sustain  his 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


cause,  and  thus  to  hrinj^  him  cheer  and  comfort. 
In  despair  of  fiiuliiij^  for  it  an  exact  c(iuivalent, 
some  have  simj)ly  transcril)ed  the  Greek  term 
Paraclete.  Is  the  Spirit  Ciirist's  advocate  witli 
us,  as  Christ  is  our  advocate  with  the  Father?  then 
He  as  the  Infinite  Reasoner  shows  us  convincing 
proof  of  our  guiU.  Is  lie  a  divine  lielper?  then 
He  seeks  to  render  helj)  where  our  need  is  sorest. 
Is  lie  the  Comforter.^  then  He  seeks  to  bring  us 
comfort  by  removing  that  which  is  the  cause  of 
all  our  misery.  Sin  is  tlis-ease;  where  it  has  a 
place  there  can  be  no  true  comfort.  One  sin  in 
the  soul, like  a  speck  of  dust  in  the  eye,  will  cause 
pain.  And  since  sin  must  be  discovered  before  it 
can  be  removed,  there  can  be  no  comfort  except 
through  conviction.  Probing  is  never  pleasant; 
but  unless  the  sharp  probe  of  conviction  enters 
the  soul  there  can  be  no  comfort,  for  that  way 
healing  lies.  Many  a  grief-stricken  heart,  failing 
to  see  the  connection  between  conviction  and  com- 
fort, has  exclaimed  with  Jeremiah,  "Ah,  Lord 
God,  surely  Thou  hast  greatly  deceived  Thy 
people,  saying.  Ye  shall  have  peace,  whereas  the 
sword  reacheth  unto  the  soul."  We  forget  that 
it  is  the  divine  order  that  through  war  comes 
peace,  through  pain  comes  joy,  through  loss 
comes  gain,  through  trouble  comes  rest,  through 
sorrow  comes  comfort.     When  the  tender-hearted 


Spiritual  Operations, 


Spirit  wounds  it  is  tliat  He  may  heal;  when  He 
reveals  to  man  his  ruin  it  is  that  He  may  reveal 
to  him  the  (li\ine  reuKily  ;  wIkii  He  exposes  to 
view  the  u^ly  thinijs  nestlinv,^  williiii  the  lieart  — 
thiii<rs  whieh  man  uoukl  fain  hide  from  himself 
— it  is  hccause  He  cannot  come  as  the  Comforter 
unless  He  comes  as  the  Convictor. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  "the  Spirit  of  life."  (Kom. 
viii.  2.)  "\\'here\er  the  Holy  Spirit  is,"  says 
Ambrose,  "there  is  life,  anil  where\er  there  is 
life  there  also  is  the  Holy  Spirit."  In  Him  all 
life  has  its  source  and  fountain  head.  He  is  the 
creative  cause  of  physical  life.  Life  is  not  a 
quality  of  matter,  nor  llie  product  of  or_i,^anism. 
A  physical  cause  cannot  prcnluce  a  spiritual  effect. 
The  words  of  Job,  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  in 
my  nostrils,"  or  his  words,  '' Tiie  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  made  me,"  present  the  very  explanation  of 
the  orii^in  of  life  which  is  j^iven  in  the  accepted 
scientific  formula,  "  Life  proceeds  from  life,  and 
from  nothin<^  hut  life." 

The  autlior  of  physical  life  is  the  author  of 
spiritual  life.  A  reLfenerate  man  is  one  who  is 
"born  from  above"  (John  iii.  7);  "born  of  (jod" 
(John  i.  13);  "born  of  the  Spirit"  (John  iii.  5). 
In  Him  the  Old  Testament  promises,  "I  will  put 
within   you   anew    spirit,"  and  "  I  will    put    My 


After  Pentecost,  Whati 


Spirit  within  you,"  liavc  l)ccn  fiillllltd.  Some- 
tliin-,^  niuiv  has  transpircil  than  the  (luickcniii^'  of 
powers  already  existing.  A  new  hfe  has  hecn 
generated;  a  new  principle  of  moral  action  has 
Ix-en  imparted;  a  new  process  of  spiritual  evolu- 
tion has  heen  started.  "The  old  things  are 
passed  away  ;  behold,  they  are  become  new." 

The  Reformers    were    manifestly  right  in  at- 
tributing the  work  of    grace    in    the    heart  of  the 
believer  to  the  infusion  of  tiie  Holy  Spirit.    They 
were  right  also  in  extending  the  renewing  inlhi- 
cnce  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to   the    will   of    man,  in 
which  is  found  the  seat  and   center  of   moral  ac- 
tion.     It  was  to    them  a  self-evident  truth  that  "  if 
any  one  should  be  represented  as  just  and  fearing 
God  who  had  not  the  Spirit,  it  would  be  the  same 
as   if   Belial  were  called  Christ."— (So  Luther.) 
But  the  Reformers  did  not  always  make  clear  the 
important  fact  that  man's  co-operation  must  go 
hand  in  hand  with  the  Spirit's  operation  ;  and  that 
hence,  although  "  Gcd  opens  the  closed    heart," 
as  the  eleventh  Canon  of  the    Synod  of  Dort  as- 
serts. He  does    not    open    ;he    unyielding  hcan. 
They  overlooked  also  the  additional  fact  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  constantly  working  in  the  soul  for 
the  birth  of  the  better  life;  that  from  Him  comes 
the  initial  impulse   to  goodness;   that  not   merely 
docs  He  stand  read}-  to  second  any  attempt  to  act 

l6o 


Spiritual  Operations. 


righteously  that  may  be  made,  He  works  in  men 
untiringly  "both  to  will  and  to  work  for  His 
good  pleasure."  (3ver  every  heart  He  i.s  ever 
brooding,  seeking  to  generate  within  it  His  own 
holy  life,  tliat  Clirist  may  l)e  formed  within.  He 
communicates  His  life  l)otin  mediately  and  imme- 
diately. Sometimes  His  contact  is  so  close  and 
intimate  that  notjiing  stands  between  Him  and 
the  spirit  of  man,  and  His  life  is  imjiarted  b-, 
rect  inbreathing.  From  His  enveloping  presence 
the  vital  cirrcut  -which  passes  through  the 
thickest  encasements  of  worldliness  and  moral 
indifference  to  the  center  of  intelligence  and 
causality — is  transmitted  by  induction;  and 
the  spiritual  nature,  interpenetrated  by  His<juicic- 
ening  po\v'er,  stirs  inti)  life.  Without  voice 
or  visicm  the  .Spirit  of  (iod  impresses  Himself 
upon  the  plastic  s[)irit  of  num,  and  entering  into 
it,  becomes  henceforth  its  animating  life.  But  in 
most  instances  the  Holv  Spirit  communicates  his 
life  mediately,  I'}'  employing  conducting  wires 
of  some  sort  for  the  tr.-uismission  of  His  life-giv- 
ing power.  These  conducting  wires  are  either 
inspired  souls  or  inspire<l  words.  According  to 
the  principle  of  the  economv  of  forces  He  makes 
use  of  the  means  whiili  arc  already  at  coiTimand. 
Along  the  pathways  already  prep;n-ed  He  suiuls 
His  messages.      He   utilizes    those    subtle  bonds 

i6i 


ii 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

of  attachment  which  exist  between  human  souls, 
by  making  those  who  arc  in  vital  connection  with 
Himself  the  mediums  through  whom  He  conveys 
His  saving    influences  to   others.      The   law   by 
which  He  works  we  are  beginning  to  understand 
by  the  aid  of  the  teaching  of  the  new  science  of 
telepathy;  one  of  the  commonplaces  of  which  is 
that  in  the  intercourse  of  spirit  with  spirit  space 
is  oMiteratetl.      There  are  modes  of   sjiiritual  in- 
tercourse regarding  which  the  telegraph  and  tele- 
pbonecan  give  only  the  faintest  suggestion.     Be- 
tween  people    who    are   in   sympathy    with  each 
other,    however   widely    they   may   l>e  sundered, 
there  is  a  constant    interplay  of   influence,  a  con- 
stant interchange  of   helpful   suggestion.      Every 
good  thought  or  wish  they  cherish  for  each  other 
carries   with   it  comforting,  uplifting  and  saving 
influence.      Here   we  are  coming  to  discover  the 
true    philosophy    of    prayer.       A    mother   prays 
for    her    waywartl,    wandering    boy,    and    it    is 
found    out    afterwards    that    at    the     very     time 
she    was    upon   her    knees    he    was    converted. 
How  was  her  prayer  answered?     Ditl   it  go  to 
the  Central  OIHce  in  heaven,  and  was  the  con- 
nection  made   there   with   the  boy,   and   the   an- 
swer sent  to  him  direct?  Or  was  the  answer  sent 
through  the  mother's  heart  to  her  boy,  along  the 
already   established    line  of   natural    relationship 

162 


Spiritual  Operations. 


and  affection  ?  It  is  surely  more  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  it  was  sent  in  the  latter  way.  How 
greatly  it  would  encourage  people  to  continue  in- 
stant in  prayer  did  they  believe  that  every  desire 
for  the  good  of  others,  "  uttered  or  unexpressed," 
actually  imparted  spiritual  help!  How  eagerly 
would  they  repair  to  the  fountain  of  life  and  en- 
ergy which  faith  tapj  if  they  really  believed  that 
their  souls  could  be  charged  with  regenerating 
power,  which  could  be  sent  direct  to  other  souls! 
Paul  was  evidently  not  afraid  to  speak  of  himself 
as  the  channel  through  which  regenerating  power 
tlovved  into  others.  lie  speaks  of  the  slave  Ones- 
imus  as  "my  child  whom  I  have  begotten  in 
my  bonds."  (I'hilem.  lo.)  He  was  his  spiritual 
son  begotten  by  him  through  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  "  Hy  whose  preaching  were  you 
converted?"  a  young  man  was  asked.  "By  no- 
body's preaching,  but  by  my  father's  practicing," 
was  the  reply.  Hy  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
as  it  works  through  saintly  lives  many  are  born 
into  the  belter  life. 

Hut,  as  has  been  stated,  the  Holy  Spirit  com- 
municates His  regenerating  power  not  oidy 
through  inspired  souls,  but  also  through  inspired 
words.  Paul  says  to  the  Corinthians:  "In 
Christ  Jesus  I  begat  you,  by  the  gospel."  (i  Cor. 
iv.  15.)   Peter  speaks  of  souls  as  "  begotten  again, 

163 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


not    of    corruptible  seed,    but  of    incorruptible, 
throu<^h  the  word  of  God, who  liveth  and  abidcth." 
(i  Pet.  i.  23.)   Ezekiel,  in  his  vision  of  the  valley 
of  dry  bones,  ^nves  a  strikin-,^   ilhistration  of  the 
connection    between   the   Spirit   anvl  the  word  in 
the  work  of  regeneration.    The  prophet  was  told 
to  prophesy  unto  the  dry  bones,say'ng  unto  them, 
"O  ye  dry  bones,  hear  the  word   of  the  Lord." 
He  was  also  to  invoke  the  intervention  of  a  higher 
power  by  praying,"  Come,  O  breath,  and  breathe 
upon  these   slain   that   they  may  live."     Not  the 
word  only,  but  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God  work- 
ing through  the  word,  vivilies  pouIs  dead  in  tres- 
passes and  sins.    The  gospel  is  the  power  of  (Jod 
unto  salvation  because  througl)  it  "  the  breath  of 
God  enters  into  dead  souls,  and  they  stand  upon 
their   feet."     (Rev.  xi.    11.)     The  supreme  end 
of    revelation     is    the    communication    of    life. 
"  These  things,"  says  Jesus,  "  have  I  spoken  unto 
you  that  ye  may  have  eternal  life."     Hence  the 
importance  of  preaching  the  word  of  the  gospel; 
for  when  it  is  believed  a  highway  for  the  Spirit 
is  opened   direct'y  into   the    soul;  eternal   life  is 
communicated,    and    man    becomes    "alive    unto 
God."      To   receive    the    wr)rd   is   to    receive  the 
Spirit;  for  when  the  word  is  received  "the  Lord 
and  Giver  of  life"  enters   with   it,  making  those 
who  are  spiritually  dead   feel   the   touch  of  His 

resurrection-power. 

164 


Spiritual  Operations. 


RENEWING. 

All  that  pertains  to  the  mortal  part  of  man  is 
sul)ject  to  deterioration  and  decay.  Under  the 
constant  tear  and  wear  of  life's  activities  the 
body  runs  down.  Life  produces  motion,  and 
motion  leads  to  waste.  At  every  lifting  up  of 
the  hand  something  goes  out  of  the  body  which 
never  comes  back.  If  there  is  a  break  down  it 
may  be  temporarily  repaired.  By  a  frugal  ex- 
penditure of  vital  energy  the  evil  day  of  bank- 
ruptcy may  for  a  time  be  staved  off.  But  too 
great  frugality  is  fatal,  and  those  who  arc  afraid 
to  wear  oui,  rust  out.  Decay  is  inevitable,  noth- 
ing can  arrest  its  insidious  progress.  One  by 
one  the  physical  powers  give  (nil,  and  the  body 
becomes  unresponsive  to  the  soul's  mandates. 

But  while  natural  power  declines,  spiritual 
power  may  abide  and  grow.  Of  all  who  are  born 
of  the  Spirit  it  is  said  that  "though  their  outward 
man  is  decaying,  yet  their  inward  man  is  renewed 
day  by  day"  (2  Cor.  iv.  16),  they  having,  as  St. 
Cyprian  has  phrased  it,  "a  growth  according  to 
God."  The  inllrmities  of  age  which  creep  on 
apace,  arc  physical.  They  do  not  touch  the  im- 
mortal part  of  man.  While  the  body  is  losing 
the  soul  may  be  gaining;  while  the  body  is  being 
drained  of  its  strength  the  soul  may  be  growing 
stronger.     **  Age,"  says  George  MacDonald,  "  is 

165 


After  Pentecost,  What? 

not  all  decay.  It  is  the  ripening,  the  swelling  of 
the  fresh  life  witliin  that  withers  and  bursts  the 
husk."  Spiritual  power  differs  from  physical 
l^ovver  in  this  respect,  its  exercise  implies  in- 
crease. Every  forlhputting  of  mental  effort 
strengthens  the  mind.  Every  forlhputting  of 
spiritual  effort  adds  to  the  fund  of  spiritual  power. 
In  the  spiritual  sphere  giving  doth  not  impover- 
ish; tne  going  out  of  virtue  from  those  who  come 
in  contact  with  ain-sick  souls  does  not  leave  them 
weaker.  Thosj  who  give  themselves  to  others 
in  sacrificial  ministry  save  their  lives  by  losing 
them.  It  is  on  the  physical  side  alone  that  ex- 
haustion comes.  The  spirit  is  often  willing 
when  the  flesh  is  weak.  Everlasting  youth,  un- 
fading freshness,  undiminished  power  is  the 
glorious  portion  of  those  wlio  by  the  Spirit's 
abiding  presence  are  "  rene\'  ed  from  day  to  day 
in  the  spirit  of  their  minds."  Inward  renewal 
can  come  from  but  one  source.  The  Power  who 
created,  alone  can  recreate.  The  life  begotten  by 
the  Spirit  must  by  the  Spirit  be  nourished  and 
sustained.  It  is  His  immanent  energy  that  "re- 
news the  face  of  the  earth";  it  is  His  immanent 
energy  that  renews  the  moral  life  of  man,  and 
keeps  the  workTs  face  from  becoming  wrinkled 
with  age;  and  it  is  His  innnanent  energy  that 
keeps  the  soul  forever  young,  making   its  pulse- 

i66 


Spiritual  Operations. 


beat  full  and  strong,  and  imparting  to  it  over- 
flowing vigor  that  makes  labor  a  delight.  Those 
who  are  made  over  again  by  "  the  renewing  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  which  has  been  poured  upon  us 
richly  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Savior"  (Titus 
iii.  5-7),  do  not  retpiire  to  whip  and  spur  them- 
selves to  duty;  they  do  not  find  the  Lord's  com- 
mands grievous,  or  His  burdens  heavy.  Their 
strength  is  replenished  as  soon  as  the  world  steals 
it  away.  As  the  fountain  in  tlie  pui)lic  square  is 
kept  full  to  the  brim  and  running  over,  because 
fed  from  an  unseen  pipe,  so  they,  by  niaiiUaining 
connection  with  the  secret  source  of  their  life, 
are  kept  fiiled  with  power,  however  un^llintedly 
they  may  expend  themselves  for  others.  It  is 
impossible  for  them  to  drain  themselves  dry,  see- 
ing that  the  Spirit  of  God  is  pouring  in  faster 
than  they  can  pour  out. 

In  the  work  of  renewal  the  Holy  Spirit  is  con- 
stantly engagecb  He  stands  ready  to  pour  floods 
of  recreative  energy  into  every  fainting  heart  that 
will  open  to  receive  Him. 

"God's  Spirit  falls  on  me  as  dewdrops  on  a  rose 
If  I  but  like  a  rose  my  heart  to  him  unclose  "* 

Not  the  return  of  the  Spirit,  but  a  return  to 
the  Spirit  is  needed  to  ]>ring  a  spring-time  of  re- 
newed life  to  those  who  have  become  like  a  dry 
and  sandy  desert,  from  which  no  vapor  rises,  and 


♦Sclieffler, 


167 


After  Pentecost,  What? 

upon  which  no  dew  descends.  When  languish- 
ing hearts  cry  out,  "Wilt  Thou  not  revive  us 
again,  that  Thy  people  may  he  glad  and  rejoice  in 
Thee?"  the  Lord  answers,  "Return  unto  Me 
and  I  will  pour  water  upon  him  that  is  thirsty, 
and  floods  upon  the  dry  ground."  Like  "a  cloud 
of  dew  in  harvest"  ;  like  "  rain  upon  newly  mown 
grass";  like  "showers  that  water  the  earth," 
"making  what  is  dry  moist  and  green";  like  the 
warm  hreath  of  spring  which  clothes  the  earth 
with  verdure;  like  the  sun  of  summer  wliich 
mantles  the  earth  with  beauty,  the  Holy  .Spirit 
refreshes  and  beautifies  the  spiritual  life  of  tiiose 
who  welcome  His  presence  in  their  hearts,  putting 
upon  them  the  power  and  beauty  of  the  Lord 
their  God. 

ANOINTING. 

Foremost  among  the  blessings  of  the  new  dis- 
pensation is  the  anointing  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by 
which  all  Christians  are  inwardly  appointed  and 
ordained  kings  and  priests  unto  God.  The  Spirit 
falls  upon  them,  as  the  anointing  oil  which  ran 
from  the  head  to  the  skirts  of  the  high  priest,  set- 
ting them  apart  from  the  world,  and  consecrating 
them  forever  to  the  service  of  the  Most  High.  The 
anointing  which  they  receive  is  for  the  object  of 
fitting  them  for  useful  labor,  and  not  for  the  ob- 
ject of  exalting  them  to  official  dignity  and  honor. 

i68 


>.. 


J 


Spiritual  Operations. 

They  arc  dowered  with  wisdom  by  the  Spirit  of 
Light,  that  they  may  be  qualified  for  the  discharge 
of  their  kingly  and  priestly  responsibilities.    The 
Old  Testament  promise  concerning  every  anointed 
king  and    priest   was,  "The   Spirit  of   the  Lord 
shall  rest  upon  him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  un- 
derstanding."  (Isa.  xi.  2.)    The  Xew  Testament 
declaration    concerning    the    fullUlment    of    that 
promise  is,  "  Ve  have  an  anointing  from  the  Holy 
One,  and  ye  know  all  things."      (i  John  ii.  20.) 
"Ye  Jiavc,"  not  ye  shall  /lavc,  "an  anointing  of 
the  Holy  One."    It  is  now  in  possession.      Fresh 
anointings,  fuller  anointings,  may  be  daily  and 
hourly  enjoyed  in  the  future,  but  every  Christian 
has    an  anointing  to  start   with.      The   fragrant 
chrism  of   the    Holy  Spirit   has  been  outpoured 
upon   his   heart,  consecrating   him    to   the    Most 
High,  and  enduing   him   with  spiritual  enlight- 
enment for  the  special  duties  to  which  he  is  ap- 
pointed.     He  knows  "all  things";  not  of  course 
all  things  absolutely,  but   all   things    within   the 
sphere  of  the  supersensible  which  it  is  best  for  him 
to  know,  all  things  within  the  sphere  of  the  prac- 
tical which  it  is  essential  for  him  to  know.      He 
has  that   clear   insight    into   things   which   saves 
him  from  making  any   serious  blunder,  and  en- 
ables him  successfully  to   perform   the   duties  of 
his  kingly  and  priestly  offices. 

169 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


Let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  anointinj^  is 
a  divine  act.  "  He  that  hath  anointed  us  is  God." 
And  being  a  divine  act,  it  confers  benefits  that 
are  substantial  and  permanent.  It  is  not  a  tran- 
sient gift,  a  sudden  flash  of  Hght  that  may  end  in 
darkness.  It  is  not  something  that  may  be  arbi- 
trarily cancelled.  It  is  significantly  described  as 
"the  anointing  that  abideth." 

The  service  to  which  this  anointing  conse- 
crates, and  for  which  it  qualifies,  is  one  of  joy. 
All  those  upon  whose  heads  and  hearts  the  Spirit 
is  poured  out  are  "anointed  with  the  oil  of  glad- 
ness above  their  fellows."  For  a  sour-visaged 
religion  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  responsible. 
There  is  summer  in  the  soul  into  which  He  en- 
ters. "The  fruit  of  the  spirit  is  joy."  "The 
kingdom  of  God  is  joy  in  the  Holy  Spirit."  The 
day  of  religious  austerity  and  gloom  is  forever 
past  v/hen  the  soul  has  had  its  Pentecost. 

There  was  good  ground  for  the  rebuke  admin- 
istered to  a  cantankerous  preacher,  "If  you  are 
an  anointed  minister  of  the  Word,  you  have  cer- 
tainly been  anointed  with  vinegar."  Evidence 
of  the  Spirit's  anointing  is  seen  in  the  presence 
of  the  graces  of  the  Spirit.  As  the  kings  and 
priests  of  the  old  dispensation  were  anointed  with 
oil  made  odorous  with  sweet  spices,  the  kings 
and  priests  of  the  new  dispensation  are  anointed 

170 


Spiritual  Operations. 

with  the  odorous  oil  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  they 
may  be  made  "  a  sweet  savor  of  Christ  unto  God," 
and  unto  men.  In  "  The  Teaching  of  the  Twelve" 
the  Spirit  is  spoken  of  as  "a  strange,  sweet  odor" 
whose  perfume  pervades  the  life  of  the  believer. 
The  true  odor  of  sanctity  is  from  the  Spiritus 
Sancttts, 

TKACHINO. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  great  Educator  of  the 
race.  He  is  ever  patiently  at  work  seekin<r  to 
lift  it  out  of  darkness  into  light.  The  divine 
educative  process  so  clearly  discernible  in  the 
history  of  the  Jewish  people  is  an  illustration  o;' 
a  irencral  work  going  on  in  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  The  heavenly  Father  is  providing  for  all 
His  children  the  highest  educational  advantages 
within  His  power;  placing  them  under  the  ilirect 
tuition  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  so  that,  however  great 
may  be  their  lack  of  opportunity  for  acquiring 
worldly  knowledge,  it  is  possible  for  them  to 
attain  spiritual  knowledge,  and  become  wise  in 
hidden  wisdom. 

The  work  of  spiritual  instruction  carried  on 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  consists  of  outward  and  in- 
ward illumination.  He  is  a  pillar  of  fire,  and  an 
inward  light;  He  is  a  lamp  to  the  feet,  and  a 
light  to  the  soul.  Those  who  do  not  enjoy  His 
instruction  in  the  written  Word  are  not  left  en- 

171 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


tirely  in  the  dark,  hut  have  Ilis  direct  iiishiiiinj; 
in  their  hearts.  They  have  also  the  instruction 
of  those  lofty  souls  whom  lie  has  specially  illu- 
mined to  he  the  world's  spiritual  teachers.  The 
declaration  that  "  no  prophecy  ever  came  hy  the 
will  of  men,  hut  men  spake  from  (iod,  l)ein}^ 
moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit"  (2  I'eler  i,  21),  is  not 
to  be  limited  to  the  utterances  t)f  Hebrew  proph- 
ets, but  is  to  be  widened  in  its  scope  to  include 
the  utterances  of  all  Spirit-tau<;ht  teachers.  ]'>as- 
mus,  when  reading  Cicero  on  <luty  and  immor- 
tality, was  forced  to  exclaim:  "  I  am  so  affected 
that  I  cannot  doubt  that  the  breast  from  whence 
such  things  proceeded  was  in  some  way  occupied 
by  the  Divinity."  From  what  other  source  could 
spiritual  light  come  than  from  the  light-giving 
Spirit?  The  very  fact  that  Christianity  has 
appropriated  and  assimilated  truths  from  other 
religions,  shows  that  they  were  not  alien  to  it, 
but  must  have  had  a  common  origin  with  it.  It 
is  only  in  the  forms  which  they  assume  that  the 
Spirit's  lessons  differ;  in  meaning  they  are  all 
the  same.  His  inspokcn  and  His  outspoken 
words  agree;  the  personal  message  whispered  in 
the  inner  car,  and  inaudible  to  others,  is  one  with 
the  spoken  evangel  whose  sound  goes  over  all  the 
earth;  the  Eternal  Christ  of  whom  from  the  be- 
ginning  the   Spirit   has  been  witnessing  is  one 

172 


Spiritual  Operations. 


with  the  historical  Christ  whom  lie  is  now  mak- 
ing inwardly  known.  To  the  inner  voice  the  oiit- 
v\anl, written  Word  is  supplemental.  It  explains 
what  the  inner  voice  could  only  suif^^est.  It 
gives  the  ilefinite  knowledge  regarding  spiritual 
things  for  which  the  world  wearily  waited 
through  long  years  of  deferred  hope.  How 
happy  the  Holy  Spirit  must  he  that  He  has  at 
length  succeeiled  in  putting  into  the  hands  of  men 
the  Hook  of  Life,  and  how  greatly  He  must  long 
to  see  His  great  lovogift  prized  and  improved! 
The  Bible  is  in  a  peculiar  sense  His  hook;  from 
it  He  is  inseparable;  He  is  its  constant  inspira- 
tion; His  presence  in  it  informs  it  with  life;  His 
presence  in  the  mind  of  him  who  reads  it  trans- 
forms it  from  a  dead  letter  to  a  living  message. 
Through  it  He  is  continually  speaking;  in  all  its 
words  of  alarm,  entreaty  and  exhortation  He  is 
finding  a  voice.  It  is  the  progressive  lesson 
l)Ook  by  which  He  is  instructing  the  race  in  the 
things  of  God. 

But  while  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Instructor  of 
the  race,  the  originator  and  director  of  the  tnoral 
and  intellectual  evolution  of  mankind,  He  is  in  a 
special  sense  the  Instructor  of  those  who  have  en- 
rolled themselves  as  His  pupils  and  have  opened 
their  hearts  to  His  teachings.  What  Canlinal 
Manning  claims   for  the    Church   of   Rome   we 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


would  claim  for  the  church  of  Ciirist,  and  for 
each  member  of  it  in  particular.  He  says,  "We 
are  und'>r  the  personal  j^uidance  of  the  Third 
Person  of  the  Holy  Trinity  as  truly  as  the  apos- 
tles were  under  the  p^uidance  of  the  .Second.  The 
condition  of  oui  sanctification  is  Truth,  and  the 
perpetuity  of  the  office  of  the  Sanctiflcr  presup- 
poses tne  perpetuity  of  the  oilice  of  the  Illumina- 
tor." Within  every  Christian  heart  the  I~^pirit 
dwells  as  the  illuminator  of  truth.  His  instruc- 
tion is  personal  and  special.  He  deals  with  each 
s^h.'ilar  Sep.. lately,  adaptin<^  His  methods  to  in- 
dividual peculiarities,  and  jj^radin;.r  His  lessons  to 
indi\idual  capacity  and  dexelopment.  Uut  His 
scholars  are  often  dull  and  slow  of  licart  1o  ap- 
prehend wnal  He  's  sayinij  to  them.  Centuries 
of  patient  instruction  have  sometimes  i^.-en  <;iven 
to  f^et  a  new  thou<^ht  into  the  worliTs  mind,  and 
a  life-time  of  patient  instruction  ha.s  sometimes 
been  given  to  cjet  a  Christian  man  to  <^rasp  the 
mcaninjjof  the  Spirit's  plainest  teachinjj^s,  Those 
only  who  apjireciate  the  privile<;e  of  beiuLj  tauj^ht 
of  the  Spirit,  and  who,  in  docilitv  of  heart,  j^ive 
to  their  divine  Instructor  their  undivid'd  atten- 
tion, make  prog-ress  in  the  knowkdi^e  of  spiritual 
things.  For,  as  Fenelon  said,  "We  must  lend  an 
attentive  car,  for  His  voice  is  soft  and  low,  and 
is   heard  by  those    g  ily  who  hear   nothing  else. 

174 


Spiritual  Operations. 


Ah,  how  rare  it  is  to  find  r.  soul  still  enough  to 
hear  ('Ot'  speak  I" 

i.EAI)ING. 

To  souls  Vicnij^htcd,  "  in  a  gloomy  wood  astray," 
tin-  Spirit  offers  Himself  as  a  way-leader.  All 
who  give  themselves  up  to  His  guidance  He  un- 
dertakes to  conduct  thrcnigh  the  forest  of  life, 
with  its  winding  and  intersecting  paths,  into  the 
king's  country.  F(jr  their  safety  He  becomes 
personally  responsible.  If  they  miss  the  way  the 
fault  will  be  in  the  following,  and  not  in  the 
leading.  "In  all  tiiy  ways  acknowledge  Him, 
and  He  shall  direct  thy  steps,"  is  a  promise  that 
ne\er  fails.  If  we  "walk  in  the  Spirit";  if  we 
take  the  way  the  Spirit  indicates;  if  we  walk  in 
His  wisi'oni  and  might;  if  we  keep  close  by  His 
sick',  if  wc  are  sensitive  to  the  touch  of  His  un- 
frcen  hand,  and  responsive  to  its  gentlest  insist- 
ence; if  we  are  open  to  receive  and  swift  to  obey 
the  slightest  suggestion  of  His  will;  if  we  are 
readily  restrained  from  following  self-originated 
plans,  as  Paul  was  when  "  forbiilden  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  preach  in  Asia";  if  we  are  easily  con- 
strained to  take  up  tasks  from  which  we  shrink, 
as  Philip  was  when  the  Spirit  said  to  him,  "(io 
join  tlivself  to  tiiis  chariot,"  then  h,-\ve  we  received 
the  sign-nuinual  of  divine  son:  hip.  "  For  as 
many  as  are  led   by  the  Spirit  of   God,  these  are 


After  Pentecost,  What? 

the  sons  of  God."  (Rom.  viii.  14.)  The  only 
conckisive  evidence  thai  any  one  is  God's  spirit- 
ual son  is  that  he  is  heing  Spirit-led. 

One  way  in  which  the  Spirit  leads  has  already 
heen  indicated.  lie  leads  hy  intluenciiif^  the 
mind  through  the  law  of  suggestion,  which  a 
certain  class  of  modern  philosophers  regard  as 
the  underlying  law  governing  all  psychic  phe- 
nomena. They  hold  that  in  hypnotism,  spirit- 
ism, mind-reading,  christian  scien  e,  faith-cure, 
and  the  Hive,  suggestion  is  the  potent  factor.  As 
the  niintl  on  its  ohjective  side  receives  imj^ressions 
from  the  outer  world,  on  its  suhjective  side  it  re- 
ceives suggestions  from  other  minds.  Along 
this  law  the  .Spirit  of  (iod  undouhtedly  works  in 
controlling  the  wills  and  lives  of  men.  His  ac- 
cess to  their  minds  is  direct.  Sometimes  lie 
speaks  to  them  in  dreams  of  the  night,  when  the 
ohjei  live;  side  of  liic  mind,  that  is,  the  side  that 
is  turiiL  toward  th'-  world,  is  in  abeyance.  In 
ways  that  are  mysterious  lie  gives  intimation  of 
coming  events,  forewarning  of  danger,  and  guid- 
ing to  important  decisions.  But  all  suggestions, 
human  or  liivine,  may  be  opposed  and  rendered 
nugatory  by  self-suj^geslion  ;  for  the  free  nature 
of  man  cannot  be  coerced,  and  when  lie  follows 
the  suggestion  of  another  mind,  he  does  so  freely. 
When  the  Spirit  of  (jod    whispers  in  the  heart, 

176 


Spiritual  Operations. 


His  sugfTcstion   may  not  be  accepted,  His  advice 
may  not  he  taken. 

To  aliandon  self-confidence  and  trust  implicitly 
to  the  .Spirit's  leading  is  never  an  easy  thing. 
We  dearly  love  to  have  our  way  ;  we  pride  our- 
selves upon  our  i)owcrs  of  observation  and  judg- 
ment; we  [ilunie  oursehes  on  our  superior  in- 
sight and  foresight.  Hut  sooner  or  later  there 
comes  a  time  when  the  heavens  are  black  above 
us,  and  we  cannot  take  our  reckoning,  and  in  our 
extremity  we  are  forced  to  hush  ..  .  outwaril 
voices,  and  listin  to  the  still,  small  voice  which 
whisj)er3  within,  "This  is  the  vvay,  walk  ye  in 
it."  I^ike  a  cliild  that  is  lost,  we  are  glad  to  cling 
to  the  unseet^  hand  stretched  out  towards  us  in 
the  (.larkness.  15ut  oh,  it  is  just  as  hard  to  keep 
following  as  it  is  to  make  a  complete  surrender 
of  vsisdom  and  will  at  the  first,  for  it  is  impossi- 
bU-  to  anticipate  where  the  Spirit  will  lead  us. 
.Surprises  are  sure  to  meet  us  at  every  step.  lie 
leads  in  paths  to  ui  unknown;  j)aths  which  some- 
times go  /igzag<;ing  like  tlial  by  which  Jeho\ah 
led  His  peopli-  f'^om  Kgypt  to  Canaan.  When 
Jesus  at  His  baptism  put  Himself  into  the  .Spirit's 
guiding  hands  it  is  said  that  "  imineiliatelv  He 
was  led  up  of  tlie  .Spirit  into  the  wiUUrness  to  be 
tempted  of  the  devil."  (Matt.  iv.  i.)  Can  it  be 
thought  strange  if  the  disciple  be  led  the  way  the 


A  iter  Pentecost,  Wliat  ? 


Master  went?  It  costs  much  to  follow  a  leader 
who  never  hesitates  to  sacrifice  comfort  for  char- 
acter— a  Icailer  who  seems  to  care  so  little  what 
hardships  are  endured  so  that  the  ^oal  is  reached. 
For  fallen  worlds,  and  f(;r  fallen  s])irils,  the  path 
of  progress  must  ever  be  a  painful  one;  and  it  is 
no  wonder  that  the  (piestion  is  asked,  Why  is  the 
way  which  the  Spirit  cliooses  so  loni:^  and  hard!* 
Could  lie  not  ha\e  foun<l  an  easier  way?  Cer- 
tainly He  could.  I5ut  could  He  have  found  a 
better  way?  He  has  not  promised  to  lead  us  in 
the  most  pleasant  way,  hut  He  has  promised  to 
lead  us  in  the  ri^ht  way,  and  we  may  he  sure 
that  the  way  He  takes,  however  strant,^e  it  may 
seem  to  purblind  souls, f^oes  in  the  right  direction 
and  will  have  a  right  endinj^ 

Tlie  leading  of  the  Spirit  is  personal.  He  leads 
every  one  along  a  separate  path.  Socrates  was 
not  deceived  in  thi idling  that  he  had  a  spirit- 
guide  by  whom  he  was  personally  attended.  It 
is  no  explanation  of  his  experience  to  say  that  the 
dcrnmii  to  whose  care  and  control  he  yielded 
himself  up  was  nothing  more  than  his  own  better 
self  working  lcUi)athicall)-  through  the  law  of 
suggestion.  Is  it  not  more  reasonalile  to  think 
that  it  was  the  Spirit  of  (jod  working  tclepa- 
thieally  through  the  law  of  suggestion  ?  There 
was  no  essential    difference   between   the  experi- 

178 


encc  of  S( 

gelically  ( 

lie    is   bei 

girded  an( 

The   Chri 

that  leadel 

ership,  he 

going,  l)u: 

niscient  c\ 

His  omnij 

and  weary 

am  about 

which  gui 

birds  in  th 

constantly 

my  Lord  a 

darkness 

conduct  m 

which  III 


The  d 
shrined 
eth  witne 
of  God"  ( 
series  of 

1.    /; 

Spirit    II 
agency 


o( 


Spiritual  Operations. 


ence  of  Socrates  and  the  experience  of  the  evan- 
gelically cnlif^htened  soul  who  knows  by  whom 
he  is  beinj^  led.  Many  feel  themselves  to  be 
girded  and  <^iiided  liy  one  whom  they  know  not. 
Tile  Cliristian  believer  knows  whose  hand  it  is 
that  leadeth  him.  Conscious  of  the  Spirit's  lead- 
ership, he  can  say,  "  1  know  not  tlie  way  1  am 
^oinj?,  but  well  do  I  know  my  fjuide";  Ilis  om- 
niscient eye  sees  the  way  in  wiiicli  I  ou<(ht  to  go; 
His  omnipotent  hand  supports  :ne  when,  footsore 
and  weary  aiul  exhausted  of  courage  and  hope,  I 
am  about  to  faint  by  the  wayside.  The  Power 
which  guides  tiie  planets  in  tlieir  course,  and  the 
birds  in  their  flight,  is  the  Power  by  which  1  am 
constantly  upheld  and  led.  Fearlessly  I  follow 
my  Lord  and  Leader  down  the  valle\  road  through 
darkness  and  danger,  for  1  know  tliat  lie  will 
conduct  me  in  safety  uj)  to  the  n.ountain  top  upon 
which  lie  lies  forevermore  tlie  liglit  of  God. 

WITNIiSSINC, 

The  doctrine  of  tlie  witness  of  the  Spirit  as  en- 
shrined in  the  words,  "The  Spirit  Himself  bear- 
eth  witness  with  our  spirit  that  we  are  children 
of  God"  (Kom.  viii.  i6),  mav  l)e  developeil  by  a 
scries  of  questions. 

1.  By  zv horn  is  the  ivitttess  given y  By  "the 
Spirit  Himself,"  and  not  by  any  intermediate 
agency.      To  each  believing  heart  a  personal  testi- 

179 


After  l\-ntccost,  What? 


mony  is  givLT<  which  is  direct  aiul  iintncdiatt'. 
Tile  IIolv  Pi-irit  <^ives  testimony  re^ardinj^  wliat 
lie  i<.tio,^'  ,  'le  does  not  invent  His  testimony. 
He  is  simply  a  reporter.  And  if  the  value  of 
His  testimony  is  to  he  measureil  by  Ui.^  intelli- 
jj^cnce  and  trustworthiness  as  a  witness,  then  it  is 
infallible,  for  He  cannot  be  deceived,  nor  can  He 
deceive. 

::.  To 'vlioni  is  this  ivitncss  given}'  To  the 
believer.  This  is  unquestionably  the  nuaninj^ 
of  the  words,  "The  Holy  Spirit  alsobeareth  wit- 
ness/<; //.v."  (Heb.  X.  15.)  Paul  is  unitinjj;  him- 
self with  all  his  fellow  Christians  when  he  says, 
"  The  Spirit  Himself  i)careth  witness  with  our 
spirit."  His  thouj^Iit  is  that  the  Spirit  bears  wit- 
ness alon<4  with  our  spirit.  Two  sjiiril:^,  the 
Spirit  of  (jod  and  the  spirit  of  man,  bear  separate, 
collateral,  ami  independent  testimony.  That  is 
to  say,  alon^  w  itli  tlie  witness  of  the  Spirit  of  (iod 
there  is  the  joint  or  concurrent  witness  of  (Uir 
own  spirit.  Both  witnesses  j^resent  evidence  to 
the  same  ]iart\-  upon  the  same  ]VMnt.  A  double 
testimony  is  thus  j^iven  that  frees  the  send  from 
doubt.  Both  tchtimnnies  are  received  bv  tlu'  in- 
tellif^ence.  As  facts  of  consciousness  they  are 
beyond  denial  or  dispute.  The  soul  to  wIkuti  this 
united  testimony  is  j^iven  does  not  drift  about  u])on 
"a  make-shift  raft  of  i^uesses,"   l)ut  jjlantin;^   his 

J  80 


Spiritual  Operations. 


foot  upon  a  bit  of  solid   standing-ground,  he  can 
say,  "One  thing  I  know." 

3.  Regard'nig  zv/tat  docs  the  Spirit  bear  wit- 
ness P  Regarding  our  licavenly  sonship.  "The 
Spirit  Himself  beareth  witness  n.  ilh  our  spirit 
that  we  are  children  of  (iod."  This  is  the  one 
thing  of  which  we  are  inwartlly  assured  ;  and  this 
is  the  one  thing  of  which,  above  all  others,  the 
children  of  men  desire  to  be  assured.  "Am  I 
God's  child?"  is  the  deepot  tpiestion  of  the  heart. 
IIow  precious  then  is  this  witness  of  the  Spirit 
whicli  breathes  upon  "the  fading  consciousness 
of  our  heaveidy  ailinitv,"  and  so  completely  de- 
livers the  mind  from  uncertainty  tliat  those  who 
have  received  it  can  no  more  doubt  their  divine 
sonship  than  they  can  doubl  their  own  existence! 

4.  J/o'v  i/oes  the  Spirit  hear  zcitnrss?  In  two 
ways : 

a.  Outwardlv,  bv  the  \\\)rd.  In  the  Word  the 
Spirit  show  s  the  grouml  of  adoption,  as  in  the 
heart  he  gives  the  evidence  of  ailoption.  He  does 
not  sj)iak  of  Himself;  He  speaks  of  Christ;  He 
witnesses  for  Christ,  directing  attention  to  Him 
as  the  One  through  whom  we  become  Ity  faith 
the  spiritual  children  of  God. 

/).  Inwardly,  by  the  change  which  He  works 
in  us.  He  gives  us  a  filial  spirit;  a  spirit  of  trust- 
fulness, of  love,  and  of  (jliediente.      This  is  "the 

181 


After  Pentecost,  ''  nat? 

spirit  of  adoption,"  which  constitutes  us  sons, 
and  gives  us  the  ri<;ht  to  a  phice  in  God's  spiritual 
family.  Without  this  filial  spirit  outward  filiation 
would  profit  nothinj^.  "Because  ye  are  sons," 
because  ye  who  by  nature  were  children  of  wrath 
and  disobedience  have  by  grace  become  Goil's 
loving  and  obedient  children,  "God  hath  sent  the 
Spirit  of  His  Son  into  your  hearts  eying,  'Abba, 
Father'"  (Gal.  iv.  6),  emboldening  you  to  call 
upon  God  as  a  child  upon  his  father.  Hav- 
ing been  placed  in  the  rank  of  sons,  the  Spirit 
of  the  Elder  Brother  works  within  you,  inciting 
you  to  exercise  the  jjrivileges  of  your  exalted 
station  by  li-  ing  in  abiding  communion  with  the 
Father. 

Not  in  a  whisper,  a  dream,  or  an  electric  shock 
of  emotion,  but  in  the  upsi)ringing  of  this  spirit 
of  filial  confidence,  love,  and  dutifulness  towards 
God,  which  transforms  a  cringing  slave  into  a  free 
and  happy  child,  is  found  tlie  witness  of  the  S]iirit. 
President  Edwards  rightly  derines  it  as  "tlic  dis- 
position of  children  appearing  in  sweet  and  child- 
like love  of  Goil,  which  c;isls  out  fear."  This 
new  disposition  wliieh  llie  Spirit  begets,  this  holy 
love  which  He  sheds  abroad  in  the  heart,  is  un- 
doubtedly the  crowning  evidence  of  ('ivine  son- 
ship.  "He's  an  heir  of  heaven  who  feels  his 
bosom  glow  with  love." 

182 


Spiritual  Operations. 


These  two  forms  of  testimony  may  be  viewed 
a3  antecedent  and  conseciuent.  The  testimony 
of  the  Spirit  in  the  Word  is  a  testimony  to  its ; 
when  that  testimony  is  l)eneve(l  it  hccf)mes  a  tes- 
timony i)i  us.  For  tile  witness  (jf  the  Spirit  touch- 
inj^  the  j^round  of  our  sonship  we  must  lheref(jre 
look  without;  lumiely,  to  the  Word;  for  the  wit- 
ness of  the  Spirit  witli  our  spirit  touchiii;^  the 
reality  of  our  sonship  we  inu^t  look  within  ;  name- 
ly, to  our  hearts.  The  one  teslinionv  is  ;  ii  oltjeet 
of  faith,  the  other  is  a  conscious  experien  'e  iU)W- 
ing  from  the  exercise  of  failh.  To  all  men  has 
been  given  the  witness  of  divine  sonship  in  the 
Woril ;  but  "  he  that  helieveth  hath  the  witness  in 
himself.'''' 

SEAI>ING. 

With  the  witness-bearing  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
intimately  connectctl  His  work  of  sealing.  Like 
asealatlixed  to  a  tlocument,tlie  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
soul  of  the  believer  attests,  confirms,  and  secures 
his  position  as  a  child  of  God,  iuul  heir  of  glory. 
In  this  work  of  sealing  there  is  a  threefold  agency 
employed. 

I.  It  is  God  ZL'/io  scats.  "  He  who  hath  anoint- 
ed us  is  God,  who  also  hatli  sealed  us,  and  given 
the  earnest  of  the  Spirit  in  our  hearts."  (2  Cor. 
i.  22.)  The  King  of  kings  aUnic  has  the  right 
to  use  the  seal  that  marks  men  out  as  His  sons  and 

183 


After  Pentecost,  Wluit? 


heirs.  It  is  His  sole  prcrof^ativc  to  seal  the  be- 
liever by  attesting  his  sonship,  by  coiifirmiii}^  his 
inheritance,  and  by  keeping  him  for  his  inherit- 
ance. If  our  soiiship  is  attested  by  (jod,  who 
dare  j^ainsay  it?  If  it  is  (Jod  who  has  ratified 
our  inheritance,  who  is  he  that  can  rtverse  what 
has  been  ilone?  If  it  is  (iod  wlio  lias  sealed  us 
for  our  inheritance  we  defy  tlie  powers  of  darkness 
to  compass  our  undoinj^.  "The  foundation  of 
the  Lord  standeth  sure,  havinj^this  seal,  the  Lord 
knoweth  them  that  are  His."  He  sees  into  the 
heart.  He  knows  those  in  whom  the  Spirit  lives 
and  works,  and  He  seals  them  unto  Himself  for- 
ever. 

2.  God  ica/s  by  the  Iloly  Spirit.  Helievers 
are  said  to  be  "sealed  by  the  Holy  Sjiirit  of 
promise."  (Eph.  i.  13.)  The  Spirit  of  promise 
is  the  Spirit  promised  by  the  (3ld  Testament 
prophets,  the  Spirit  whose  speedy  comiu}^  was 
promised  by  Christ.  "  Behold,"  He  said,  "  I  send 
forth  the  promise  of  the  Father  ujion  you."  I'pon 
the  fulfillment  of  His  promise  to  send  the  Spirit 
Christ  based  the  evidence  of  His  resurrection  from 
the  dead,  and  ascension  to  the  rij^ht  hand  of  (Jod. 
The  proof  that  Christ  has  j^one  up  is  that  the 
Spirit  has  come  down ;  and  the  proof  that  the 
Spirit  has  come  down  is  that  He  dwells  in  hunuin 
hearts  sealing   them    to   God.      Every    repentant 

184 


hear 
ceivi 
to  H 
d  i  V  i  I 
then 
yieli 
witli 
have 
are  s 

3- 
by  tl 

alret 

belie 

of  pi 

they 

sealn 

are  i 

who 

pres 

not, 

tor  it 

Foil 

its  e 

Thi 

faitl 

Tht 

Hoi 

chaii 


Spiritual  Operations. 


heart,  plastic  to  His  toiicli    liki-    melted    wax,  re- 
ceives His  impress.      To  every    luiirt   that  opens 
to  His  presence  He  l)riii<;s  the  siiimy  certainty  of 
divine  acceptance.      He  ccjmes  to  all  men   to    lead 
tiiem  into  sonship;  He   comes   to   all    who    have 
yieldeil  themselves  up  to  His  intluence  to  witness 
within  them  to   tiieir  sonship.      Even   those  who 
have  hut  the  "  earnest,"  or  first  fruits  of  the  Spirit, 
are  sealed  hy  Him  "unto  the  da\  of  redemption." 
3.      (iud  .scu/s  in  Christ.    He  seals  as  His  (nvn, 
hv  the  Spirit,  all  who  accept  of  Christ.    The  text 
already    (pioted    runs,    "In     whom    havin,^    also 
believed,  ye    were    sealed    with    the    Holy    Spirit 
of  promise."      Mark  the  words   "  in  whom,"   for 
they  are  the   key    to   this   su<,'<^estive    text.      God 
seals  in  Christ,  that  is  to  say.  He  seals  those  who 
are  in  Christ,  those  who  are  united  to  Christ,  those 
who  implicitly  trust    the   Eternal   Christ,    whose 
presence  they  feel,  liut   wliose    name    they    know 
not,  and  those  who  explicitly  believe  in  the  His- 
torical  e'lirist    revealed    to    them    in    the    ;,M)spels. 
Follo\viu<^^  the  exercise  of  faith,  and  testify  inj;;  to 
its  existence,  is  the  inward  sealin<;;  of  the  Spirit. 
This  sealin^r  of  the  Spirit  is  received  as  soon   as 
faith  is  exercised.      It  is  not  an  "  after-blessin<,r." 
The  ipieslion  in    Acts   xix.  2,  "Received   ye   the 
Holy  Spirit  since  ye  believed?"  has  been  correctly 
changed  in  the  Revised    Version  to  "Did  ye  re- 

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After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


ceive  the  Holy  Spirit  xvhcn  ye  believed?"  In 
his  Pentecostal  sermon  Peter  leaves  no  long-time 
gap  between  the  supply int^  of  the  human  con- 
ditions and  the  bestowment  of  the  divine  gift. 
His  exhortation  runs,  "Repent  ye,  and  be  bap- 
tized every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  for  the  remission  of  sins"  (that  is,  trusting 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  for  the  remission 
of  sins),"  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit."     (Acts  ii.  3S.) 

Following  His  inward  sealing  is  His  outward 
pealing.  Those  who  are  sealed  in  their  hearts 
are  also  "  scaled  in  their  foreheads";  those  who 
receive  the  inward  sign  of  sonship  known  to  them- 
selves alone,  receive  tjie  outward  sign  which  is 
known  to  all  who  see  them.  And  when  this 
double  sealing  comes  to  be  clearly  recognized, 
those  who  have  given  themselves  up  to  Christ, 
and  have  been  received  by  the  Father  as  His  own, 
will  not  only  cry, 

"Here's  my  heart;  oh,  take  and  seal  it; 
Seal  it  for  Thy  courts  above," 

but  will  also  cry, 

"Here's  my  life;  oh,  take  and  seal  it; 
Seal  it  for  Thy  work  below." 

INSCHIMING. 

Christians  are  compared  to  "living  letters" — 
letters  that  breathe,  and  move,  and  speak.  They 
are  also  compared  to  "  letters  of  Christ" — letters 

186 


Spiritual  Operations. 

which  have  Christ  for  their  subject-matter — let- 
ters which  are  put  into  circulation  to  recommend 
Christ  to  others.  These  letters  are  "  written  not 
with  ink,  but  with  the  Spirit  of  the  Livinjjj  God." 
(2  Cor.  iii.  3.)  They  are  the  production  of  an 
inward  Scril)e,  whose  invisilile  linger  is  without 
pause  writing  heaven's  messages  upon  the  tablet 
of  the  heart.  In  these  living  letters  of  Christ 
the  mind  of  the  author  is  reflected.  They  show 
what  lie  is  thinking  about,  what  lie  is  interested 
in.  The  subject  with  which  they  are  filled  re- 
veals the  touch  of  His  hand.  From  beginning 
to  end  they  are  filled  with  Christ.  To  tell  men 
of  Christ,  to  inscribe  upon  their  hearts  the  true, 
spiritual  interpretation  of  Christ's  words  and  life, 
is  the  one  object  of  the  Divine  Penman. 

In  this  work  of  writing  the  things  of  Christ 
upon  the  hearts  of  men  the  Holy  Spirit  employs  a 
great  variety  of  assistants.  Cliristian  parciits, 
Sunday-school  teachers  and  all  who  are  the  spirit- 
ual instructors  of  others  are  His  amanuenses. 
Paul, referring  to  the  part  which  he  and  his  fellow 
laborers  had  to  do  in  this  work,  says  to  the  Co- 
rinthians, "Ye  are  manifestly  declared  to  be  the 
epistle  of  Christ  ministered  by  us."  The  Holy 
Spirit  is  the  real  author  of  every  epistle  of  Christ, 
and  all  that  the  Christian  teacher  writes,  he 
writes  at  His   dictation.      There    is    nothing   put 

187 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


into  these  epistles  concerning  Christ  but  what 
the  Holy  Spirit  has  made  known.  Does  an  aman- 
uensis boast  that  he  has  written  a  letter  or  a 
book?  The  glory  of  the  Christian  teacher  is 
that  he  is  the  hand  of  the  Spirit,  writing  upon 
human  hearts  that  which  will  outlast  inscriptions 
upon  brass  or  marble.  JJefore  the  records  of 
Christ's  life  were  written  down  tliey  were  written 
in  the  memory  of  His  followers;  before  His 
words  were  gathered  into  a  book  they  Wvie  «=i- 
credly  treasured  in  the  minds  of  those  who  heard 
them ,  and  were  by  them  passed  on  to  otiiers. 
And  as  Christianity  existed  before  the  written 
Word,  it  will  exist  after  it.  When  the  memoirs 
of  Christ's  life  have  perished  in  the  final  confla- 
gration, that  which  has  been  written  concerning 
Him  in  the  heart  by  the  Holy  Spirit  through  the 
instrumentality  of  human  ha  ds,  will  be  carried 
into  the  future  world,  and  shall  endure  forever. 

What  has  been  written  by  the  Spirit  in  the 
heart  becomes  visible  in  the  life.  The  inward 
handwriting  strikes  out  to  the  surface.  It  becomes 
legible  to  others,  like  a  letter  written  in  invisible 
ink  when  it  has  been  subjected  to  fire.  In  a  trans- 
formed character  the  secret  influence  of  Christ  is 
made  plainly  manifest.  Barnabas  evidently  had 
no  trouble  in  reading  those  epistles  of  Christ 
which  he  found  in  Antioch,for  he  says  that "  when 


Spiritual  Operations. 


he  was  come  and  had  seen  the  j^race  of  God,  he 
was  glad."  He  saw  the  grace  of  God  in  the  re- 
newed lives  of  the  Gentile  converts  upon  whom 
the  Spirit  had  fallen.  The  grace  of  God  is  always 
visible,  not  in  its  essence,  but  in  its  effects.  The 
epistles  of  Christ  are  not  only  "  known  and  read 
of  all  men,"  but  by  them  Christ  is  known  and 
read  of  all  men. 

INSPIRING. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  life-giving  breath  of 
God.  As  Jesus  breathed  upon  His  disciples  and 
said,  "Receive  ye  the  Holy  vSpirit,"  so  "the 
breath  of  life  from  God"  is  being  continually  in- 
breathed into  Christian  hearts  for  their  revitali- 
zation.  It  is  the  life  of  God  and  not  prayer  that 
is  the  Christian's  vital  breath.  Prayer  is  one  of 
the  means  by  which  this  life  is  indrawn. 

Inspiration  is  often  wrongly  located.  It  is  lo- 
cated in  books  rather  than  in  souls;  in  works 
rather  than  in  workers.  "Men  spake  from  God, 
being  moved"  (that  is,  bor^^e  aIon<r)  "by  the 
Holy  Spirit,"  is  the  explanation  given  of  the 
manner  in  which  inspired  books  were  writ- 
ten. Men  acted  from  God,  being  moved  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  is  the  explanation  of  the 
manner  in  which  inspired  works  have  been 
wrought.  The  inspiration  is  not  primarily  in 
the  words  or  works,  but  in  the  men  themselves. 

189 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


The  Spirit  of  God  does  not  speak  through  inspired 
phonographs,  or  work  by  inspired  machines. 
Those  whom  He  employs  are  not  borne  along  on 
a  resistless  tide  of  power.  Their  minds  and 
wills,  although  under  His  control,  are  allowed 
free  play.  Moved  by  the  impulse  which  He  im- 
parts,they  utter  God's  thoughts  and  do  His  works ; 
but  they  utter  God's  thoughts  in  their  own  words, 
and  they  do  God's  work  in  their  own  way. 

Inspiration  has  always  been  specialized.  To 
the  writers  of  the  Bible  a  special  form  of  in- 
spiration was  given  for  the  accomplishment  of  a 
special  object.  The  prophets  were  specially 
guided  by  the  Spirit  to  communicate  to  their  age 
a  revelation  of  the  mind  of  God.  The  apostles 
had  something  more  than  common  spiritual  illu- 
mination. Professor  VV.  Sanday  justly  differen- 
tiates between  general  and  apostolic  inspiration 
in  the  words:  "As  in  the  Old  Testament  the 
central  phenomenon  is  prophecy,  so  in  the  New 
the  central  phenomenon  is  the  outpouring  of  the 
Spirit,  and  the  special  endowment  conferred  by 
it  upon  those  who  came  under  its  influence,  and 
more  particularly  upon  the  apostles."*  But,  ad- 
mitting that  the  writers  of  the  Bible  were  spe- 
cially inspired, need  we  believe  in  their  inspiration 
less   because   we  believe   in   present    inspiration 


•"Inspiration,"  p.  398, 


190 


Spiritual  Operations. 

more?     We  may   not  have  concerned  ourselves 
too  much  about  the  inspiration  of  the   writers  of 
the  Bible,  trying;  to  liiul  out  whether  it  was  par- 
tial or  plenary,  permanent   or    iiUermiltent ;  l)ut 
may  we    not   have   concerned   ourselves  too  little 
with  the  measure  and  manner  of  divine  inbreath- 
ing that  is   for  ourselves?      DetL-rred  by  the  false 
assumption  that  the  Spirit  has  no  further  revela- 
tion of  the  divine  will,  or  further  inbrcathiii;r  of 
the   divine    life,  to   communicate,  we    have    been 
afraid  to  claim  our  heritage;  we  have  been  afraid 
to  think  that  we  might  be  insi)ired  ;  afraid  to  think 
that  the  Spirit  of    God   might  have  something  to 
say  and  do  through  us. 

Inspiration    is    un(iuestional)ly  a  perpetual  fact 
and  experience.   It  is  not  something  that  was  for 
the  ancient  Hebrew,  and  is  not   for   the    modern 
Anglo-Saxon.      The  fountain  of  divine   life  and 
light   is   not  yet    exhausted.      In    every   age  the 
Spirit  of  God   has   been    inspiring   men  to  speak 
and  act  for  God.      He  is  inspiring  men  to-day  to 
declare   God's  message,  freshly  received,  to   the 
people  of  their  own  generation;  and  to  perform 
works  which  the  exigencies  of  the  hour  demand. 
It  is  generally  believed  that  He  inspires  the  poet, 
the  musician  and  the  painter  to  produce  immortal 
works;  what  we  need  to  see  is  that  His   inspira- 
tion is  not  necessarily  for  the  accomplishment  of 

191 


After  Pentecost,  What? 

nii<;hty  achievements, but  for  the  accomplisliment 
of  "  good  works,"  he  they  small  or  ^reat.  It  is  the 
moral  quality  of  the  work  that  stamps  it  as  di- 
vinely inspired.  Inspired  men  do  CJod-like  works, 
and  speak  God-like  words.  In  this  practical  way 
Paul  reasons  regarding  inspired  writings.  He 
says:  "Every  Scripture  inspired  of  God"— or 
more  literally,  "Every  writing  God-breathed,  is 
profitable  for  teaching,  for  reproof,  for  correc- 
tion, for  instruction  which  is  in  righteousness." 
(2  Tim.  iii.  16.)  His  argument  is  that  the  su- 
preme evidence  that  any  writing  is  inspired  of 
God  is  found  in  the  fact  that  it  is  profilablc  for 
spiritual  ends;  and  so  by  parity  of  reasoning  the 
supreme  evidence  that  any  life  is  inspired  of  (jod 
is  found  in  the  fact  that  it  is  profitable  to  others. 
The  evangelist  Moody  is  reported  to  have  said 
tiiat  he  believes  in  the  inspiration  of  the  IJilile 
because  it  inspires  men.  On  the  same  groimds 
may  wc  not  believe  in  the  inspiration  of  Mr. 
Moody  himself? 

Upon  the  essential  dependence  of  the  finite 
upon  the  infinite  is  based  the  universal  need  of 
tlie  inspiring  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  "No 
man  was  ever  great,"  says  Cicero,  "  without  a 
divine  infiuencc,"  or,  more  literally,  "without  a 
divine  inflowing."  "Nothing  godly  can  be  alive 
in  us,"  says  William  Law,  "but  what  has  its  life 

192 


Spiritual  Operations. 

from  the  Spirit  of  God  living  and  breathing  in 
us."  The  outhrcathcd  life  of  a  good  man  is  the 
inbreathed  life  of  Gud.  No  (jiie  who  does  not 
take  ileep  and  frecpient  draughts  of  the  Spirit  of 
Life  can  keep  fruitfid  in  the  prest  lueof  the  mighty 
iceberg  of  worldliness  which  is  chilling  the  spir- 
itual atmosphere  around  him.  Oiitside  influences 
may  galvani/e  and  hypnotize  a  soul  and  give  to 
it,  for  a  time,  a  semblance  of  life,  but  only  the 
warin, vital  breath  of  God,  received  by  direct  in- 
spiration, can  impart  that  true  life  which  makes 
a  child  of  man  a  man  of  God. 

INTERCEDING. 

"The  Spirit  also  helpeth  our  infirmity,  for  we 
know  not  how  to  pray  as  we  ought,  but  the 
Spirit  Himself  maketh  intercession  for  us  with 
groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered."  (Rom.  viii. 
26.)  When  it  is  possible  the  Spirit  helps  us  out 
of  our  infirmity  by  putting  His  strength  into  us; 
but  when  our  burden  is  too  heavy  for  our  weak 
shoulders,  and  is  in  danger  of  crushing  us  into 
the  ground,  He  helps  us  in  our  infirtnity  by  put- 
ting Himself  under  our  burden,  and  taking  the 
heavy  end  of  it.  A  special  example  of  His  gen- 
eral helpfulness  is  given.  He  helps  in  prayer. 
When  encumbered  with  cares,  when  oppressed 
with  doubts,  when  faith  is  giving  way,  and  hope 
is  fading  out, 

193 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

"Falling  with  our  weight  of  cares 
Upon  the  world's  great  altar  stairs 
That  slope  through  darkness  unto  God," 

He   keeps  our   fainting   hearts    from    sinking  in 
despair.      He  enables  us  to  pray,  and   in  prayer 
-  vve  find  relief. 

I.  He  directs  us  in  the  matter  oj" our  prayers. 
We  know  not  what  to  jiiay  for;  we  know  not  our 
real,  our  essential  needs;  we  know  not  what  is 
necessary  in  all  the  special  circumstances  in  which 
we  may  be  placed,  but  the  Holy  Sjiirit  knows, 
and  He  enlightens  us  in  our  ignorance  that  we 
may  not  "ask  amiss."  He  imparts  to  us  the 
measure  of  knowledge  regarding  ourselves  and 
our  needs  which  vve  are  prepared  to  receive. 
And  when  we  arc  sorely  baflled,  when  we  come 
to  the  direst  extremity,  when  we  can  see  no  way 
out  of  our  diihculty,  when  ruin  seems  irremedi- 
able, wlicn  we  do  not  know  what  to  ask  because  we 
do  not  know  what  is  best,  "He  maketh  interces- 
sion for  us  with  groanings  which  cannot  be 
uttered."  This  may  mean  that  the  divine  Com- 
forter, who  prays  without  words, 

"With  voiceless  groanings  pleads 
Our  unutterable  needs;" 

or  it  may  mean  that  when  weak  words  fail  to  ex- 
press our  inexpressible  needs  the  Holy  .Spirit, 
knowing  our  hearts  and  interpreting  our  inarticu- 
late longings,  or  "piercing  the  broken  language 

194 


\ 


Spiritual  Operations. 


of  our  moan,"  intcrct'dcs  through  us  in  our  groans 
and  sighs.  From  cither  point  of  view  the  gen- 
eral sense  of  the  words  is  the  same.  The  Holy 
Spirit, who  reads  our  hearts  as  an  open  hook,  leads 
us  in  prayer,  causing  the  heart  to  pray  when  the 
lips  are  silent,  gi\  ing  voice  to  our  muffled  cry, 
straightening  out  our  hlundering  petitions.  Our 
prayers  go  to  heaven  with  His  endorsement, 
and  are  not  tiie  expression  of  our  ignorance  of 
ourselves,  but  of  His  perfect  knowledge  of  our 
inmost  wants.  "The  Lord  knoweth  the  mind  of 
the  Spirit,"  as  it  is  reflected  in  the  minds  of  those 
in  whom  the  Spirit  dwells. 

2.  lie  directs  us  in  the  manner  of  our  prayers. 
We  know  not  /tozc  to  pray  as  we  ought.  We 
know  not  how  to  go  l)efore  the  King,  We  hang 
hack,  we  shrink  witliin  ourselves,  hut  the  Spirit, 
moving  upon  us,  urges  us  on  ;  He  awakens  witliin 
us  holy  desires;  He  draws  us  up  towards  the 
spiritual  realm;  He  inspires  us  to  pray  to  the 
Father  in  a  proper  spirit.  Every  true  praver  is 
born,  not  from  a  sense  of  neeil  alone,  but  from 
the  workings  of  the  Spirit  in  the  heart. 

In  the  Epistle  of  Jutle  the  duty  is  enjoined  of 
"praying  in  the  Holy  Spirit"  (v.  20).  To 
pray  in  the  Spirit  is  to  pray  in  the  Spirit's  wis- 
dom, to  pray  in  the  Spirit's  power,  to  pray  in  the 
Spirit's  confidence   in   the   Father.     We  pray  in 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


the  Spirit  when  the  Spirit  prays  in  us;  and  our 
groans  and  si<;hs  sprinj;  from  the  Spirit  niovinfj 
in  us,  and  not  from  the  motions  of  tiie  ilesh.  In 
the  joint  acti«)n  implietl  the  Spirit  is  our  mouth- 
piece, and  we  are  Ilis  moutiipiece;  He  identifies 
Himself  witli  us,  maUin<^  the  prayer  which  we 
present  to  (jod  His  own;  we  identify  ourselves 
with  Him,  makini^  the  prayer  which  He  inspires 
GUI  own.  In  whichever  way  we  look  at  it,  it 
is  not  wc  who  pray,  but  the  .Spirit  who  prayeth 
yor  vs  and  ///  us.  Hy  putting  Himself  into  our 
prayers  He  makes  them  acceptal)le  to  God.  The 
p'  \  er  which  He  inspires  and  directs,  the  prayer 
w.iich  He  takes  up  and  prays  over  aj^ain  as  His 
own,  cannot  fail  of  an  answer.  Somethinjif  of 
this  truth  is  expressed  in  ihe  lines  of  the  Moham- 
medan hymn : 

"Oh,  never  think  a  prayer  like  this?,  like  other  prayers;  for 

know 
It  is  nut  mortal  man,  but  God,  from  whom  these  accents 

flow. 
Behold !  God  prays !  the  lowly  saint  stands  deep  abased 

the  while, 
And   God  who  gave   the   humbled  mind  upon  his  prayers 

will  smile." 

INDWEM.ING. 

The  Spirit  of  the  Father  is  "over  all  and 
through  all  and  in  all."  (Eph.  iv.  6.)  He  is 
"over  all"  as  the  Life  Transcendent,  "dwell- 
ing in  light  unapproachable";  He  is  "through 
all"  as  the  Life   Pervasive — the  Howing  stream 

196 


Spiritual  Operations. 


of  divine  fii(jr<^'y ;  He  is  "in  all"  as  the  Life 
Immanent— a  very  present  help  in  the  indi- 
vidual consciousness.  Tt  is  hardly  correct  to 
speak  of  the  Holy  Sj)irit  a  .  d\vellin<^  in  nature; 
for  iii(l\vellin<^  implies  fel'owship,  and  fellow- 
ship can  take  phu  c  on!}  hetweLu  self-con- 
scious, inlellijfent  l)eini;s.  He  pervades  nature; 
He  dwells  in  man.  To  m.ii.  heloiij^s  the  glory 
of  having  vital  poiiit^>  of  lontact  with  God.  The 
human  and  ilivine  are  not  alien,  hut  are  essen- 
tially one;  as  witness  their  jierfect  umon  in  Jesus. 
Christ.  Man  has  a  capacity  for  (iod.  He  is 
God's  child,  made  in  His  image,  made  to  enjoy 
His  friendship;  and  when  he  fulfills  the  destiny 
of  his  nature,  he  is  "a  temple  of  the  Holy  Spirit," 
"a  habitation  of  (Jod  in  tlie  Spirit." 

The  eml  for  which  the  Jewish  temple  was  built 
was  not  realized  \nUil  the  shekinah  entered  it; 
and  the  end  of  creation  is  not  reached  until  the 
true  Shekinah,  ijrefigured  in  the  glory  cloud 
which  rested  above  the  cherubim,  (Ills  the  temple 
of  humanity.  Hut  divine  possession  is  not  in 
itself  the  end  sought.  The  possessed  temple  is 
put  to  holy  uses.  The  Ixuly  of  humanity  is 
*illed  with  the  Spirit  that  it  may  be  enabled  to 
fulfill  its  !  'ghest  functions;  the  individual  soul 
becomes  the  temple  of  God  that  he  may  be  conse- 
crated to  the  service  oi  God.      Christians  "as  liv- 

197 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


ing  stones  are  built  up  a  spiritual  house,  for  a 
holy  priesthood,  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices." 
Their  spirit-possessed  lives  are  devoted  to  the 
worship  of  God  and  the  service  of  man. 

The  ensoulment  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  the 
body  of  humanity  is  the  deepest  fact  of  man's 
immortal  nature.  Below  the  line  of  the  ordinary 
consciousness,  in  those  hidden  depth"^  of  being  to 
which  the  name  of  the  Subliminal  Consciousness 
has  been  given,  the  Holy  Spirit  abides.  From 
Ilim  rise  those  mysterious  impulses  which  lift 
the  soul  into  the  life  of  God.  An  upward  move- 
ment all  men  occasionally  feel ;  but  what  a  con- 
stant uplift  out  of  weakness  into  strength,  out  of 
trouble  into  comfort,  out  of  conlbct  into  peace,  is 
experienced  by  those  who  know  the  source  of 
their  help!  To  those  in  whom  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  is  revealed  earth's  petty  trials  and  priva- 
tions are  as  the  small  dust  of  the  balance.  (See 
Rom.  viii.  i8.)  The  soul  to  whom  everything 
is  transfigured  in  the  light  of  the  inward  revela- 
tion of  the  glory  of  God,  "becomes  a  walking 
tent  of  heavenly  majesty,"  and  has  the  world  be- 
neath his  feet.  lie  is  not  "a  stately  ruin,  visible 
to  every  eye,  bearing  in  the  front  tlie  doleful  in- 
scription. Here  God  once  dwelt,"*  but  a  restored 
temple,  visible  to  every  eye,  bearing  on  its  front 


*John  Howe. 


198 


Spiritual  Operations. 

the  gladsome  inscription,  Here  God  now  dwells. 

Alas,  that  in  this  day  of  spiritual  privilege 
many  Christians  should  be  no  less  blind  to  the 
presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  within  them.than  the 
ancient  people  of  God  were  l)lind  to  the  presence 
of  their  Messiah  among  them !  To  enjoy  a  clear 
and  habitual  assurance  of  the  Spirit  ot  God  as 
personally  and  actively  present  in  the  hiddrn 
depths  of  his  nature  is  the  blessed  prerogative  of 
every  Christian.  He  is  not  to  wait  for  the  pos- 
session of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  is  to  believe  in 
the  reality  of  it.  The  question,  "  Know  ye 
not  that  your  body  is  a  sanctuary  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  who  is  in  you?"  (i  Cor.  vi. 
19)  ought  to  silence  his  doubt  forever  regard- 
ing His  personal  and  permanent  indwelling. 
In  the  consciousness  of  the  Spirit  in  the  heart 
he  has  more  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  divine 
presence  than  had  the  ancient  Jew  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  shekinah  in  the  temple.  For  is  not 
evidence  that  speaks  to  the  soul  better  than  that 
which  speaks  to  the  senses? 

In  the  inhal)itation  of  the  soul  of  man  by  the 

Spirit  of  God  the  climax  of  divine  manifestation 

is  reached.      "  Last    in    the   eternal   order  of   the 

Divine  IJeing,  proceeding  from   the   Father  and 

from  the   Son,  the    Holy  Spirit  is  the  first  point 

of  contact  with  God  in  tiie  order  of  experience."* 
*Canon  Gore  in  "Lux  Mundi,"  p.  a6j. 

199 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


His  place  in  the  progressive  revelation  of  God  is 
that  of   Consumniator.      He  takes  the  self-mani- 
festation of  God   in    the    man   Christ  Jesus,  and 
makes  it  a  revelation   of   God    in   man.      In   the 
spiritual    revelation   of   Christ   He   gives  a  new 
consciousness  of  God.      By  losing   His  person- 
ality in  Christ  He  finds    it;  hy  revealing    Christ 
to  the  soul  He  hecomes  personal  to  the  soul.     To 
His  coming  Jesus  pointed  as  the  means  by  which 
the  mystery  of  His  own    immanence   would  be 
forever  cleared   away.     "  At   that    time   ye   shall 
know  that  I  am  in  My  Father  and  ye  in  Me,  and 
I  in  you."     He   assured    His  disciples   that   He 
would  not  leave  them  orphans  in  a  forlorn  world. 
In  the  Spirit's  coming  He  was  to  return  to  abide 
with   them    perennially,   putting    Himself   under 
their  burdens,  touching  their  inmost  springs  of 
action,  awakening  within  them   spiritual  aspira- 
tions, and   bringing    them   into  fellowship   with 
the   Father.     The  fullness  of  His   presence   and 
the  conditions  of   its  enjoyment    are   brought  out 
in  the  promise:     "If  ye  love  Me,  ye  will  keep 
My  commandments;  and  I  will  pray  the   Father, 
and  He  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,that  He 
may    abide   with    (///eta)   you   forever;  even   the 
Spirit  of  truth,  whom  the  world   cannot  receive, 
because  it  seeth  Him  not,  neither  knoweth  Him; 
but  ye  know  Him,  for  He  dwelleth  with  (para) 

200 


Spiritual  Operations. 


you,  and  shall  be  in  (en)  you."  (John  xiv.  15-17.)* 
The  three  prepositions  here  used  have  a  deepen- 
ing import.  When  we  love  Christ  and  obey  His 
word  His  Spirit  abides  'vith  us  in  the  sense  that 
His  presence  is  continuous;  Wo.  dwells  •vith  us 
in  the  sense  that  He  keeps  l^^side  us  so  that  we 
may  have  fellowship  with  Him;  He  is  in  21s  in 
the  sense  that  He  is  domiciled  in  our  hearts,  so 
that,  having  Him  living  in  us,  we  are  freed  from 
dependence  upon  outward  things. 

It  is  not  enough  to  say  that  the  Spirit  comes  as 
a  freshening  force,  reviving  the  living  sense  of 
the  divine  presence  which  man  had  lost;  He 
comes  to  the  heart  of  man  bringing  a  new  con- 
sciousness of  God's  overshadowing  presence  by 
making  known  the  presence  of  Christ  in  the  soul. 
l?y  the  promise  of  His  presence  with  them  and 
within  ihcm,  Christ  upstayed  the  hearts  of  His 
disciples  at  first ;  by  the  assurance  of  His  presence 
with  them  and  within  them.  He  now  upstays  their 
hearts.  Tiie  assurance  of  His  presence  is  the 
crowning  blessing  of  the  new  dispensation.  Hav- 
ing come.  He  waits  for  recognition;  He  wants 
the  gracious  purpose  of  His  spiritual  coming  to 
be  recognized,  that  He  may  be  intelligently  co- 
operated with  as  a  practical  power  in  e very-day 
life.     Of  the  things  necessary  to  the  realization  of 

*See  Bible  Coiiuiientary,  in  loco. 

201 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

the  highest  Christian  experience  nothing  can  be 
put  before  the  cuUivation  of  the  consciousness  of 
the  Lord's  indwelling  Presence. 

STRIVING. 

The  opposition  of  man  to  God  is  a  dark  back- 
ground upon  which  the  nature  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 
work  in  the  heart  stands  out  in  bold  relief.      His 
influence,  as  that  of  spirit  upon  spirit,  is  suasive. 
He  does  not    invade    the   soul,  overpowering  the 
will,  and    crushing   out   personal  freedom  by  the 
exercise  of   absolute    power.      However    power- 
fully He  may  move  men.  He  deals  with  them  in 
harmony    with   their   moral   natures,   and    leaves 
'them  free  to  accept  or  reject  the  blessings  which 
He  brings.      In  th.e  natural  world  He  speaks  and 
it  is  done.  He  commands  and  it  stands   fast;  but 
in  the  spiritual  world   He  often  speaks  and  it  is 
not  done,  He  commands  and    it  does   not    stand 
fast.      Alas,  that  the  (Jod-given  power  of  freedom 
should  be  often  used  in   repelling    His  advances, 
and  in  thwarting    His  gracious   intent!     At  the 
hands  of  men  the  Holy  Spirit  receives  the  same 
kind  of  treatment  that  Christ  Himself  received 
when  He  came  to  earth  on  His  mission  of  mercy. 
!.     lie  is   resisted.     Stephen,   in    his   address 
before    the  Jewish    Council,   makes    this    home 
thrust:     "Ye  stiff-necked  and  uncircumcised  in 
heart  and   ears,  ye  do  always  resist   the    Holy 

202 


Spiritual  Operations. 

Spirit;  as  your  fathers  did,  so  do  ye."  (Acts  vii. 
51.)  He  here  charges  the  Jews  with  resisting 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  rejecting  the  gospel  message 
delivered  by  him  as  the  Spirit's  spokesman.  In 
their  resistance  of  the  Spirit  the  striving  of  the 
Spirit  is  implied ;  in  their  continued  resistance 
of  the  Spirit  the  continued  striving  of  the  Sjiirit 
is  implied.  The  Spirit  is  always  bringing  the 
utmost  pressure  possible  to  bear  upon  men,  try- 
ing to  get  them  to  surrender  themselves  to  Christ 
their  King.  But  with  strange  perversity  they 
turn  a  deaf  ear  to  His  passionate  appeals.  "He 
speakcth  once,  yea  twice,  but  men  perceive  it 
not."  Why  does  He  not  co  iipel  them  to  listen 
and  obey?  Why  does  He  not  overpower  their 
resisting  wills?  Because  enforced  obedience 
would  be  no  obedience  at  all.  The  mechanical 
service  of  a  million  automatons  would  have  no 
moral  value  whatsoever.  To  speak  of  making 
men  willing  is  as  absurci  as  to  speak  of  forcing 
them  to  become  volunteers.  God  treats  with  re- 
spect the  free  nature  which  He  has  sovereignly 
bestowed  upon  His  creature  man.  To  secure 
moral  ends  He  makes  use  of  moral  means,  ply- 
iner  inan  with  reasons  addressed  to  his  intelli- 
gence,  anil  with  motives  applied  to  his  heart.  He 
strives  with  him  in  the  same  tender,  suasive  way 
in  which  a  parent  strives  with  a  child,  endeavor- 

203 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


ing  to  stop  him  in  his  mad  career  of  sin  and 
shame.  The  only  reason  why  any  man,  to  whom 
the  gospel  message  has  come,  remains  in  impeni- 
tence, is  that  he  is  always  resisting  the  Spirit's 
influence.  When  the  light  of  heaven  shines  upon 
him,  instead  of  opening  to  it,  as  the  flower  opens 
to  the  sun,  he  closes  himself  tightly  against  it. 
When  the  rain  of  heaven  falls  upon  him,  instead 
of  allowing  it  to  soak  in  that  it  may  cover  his  soul 
with  verdure,  like  the  unyielding  rock  he  sheds 
it  off.  Refusing— with  an  obstinacy  and  obduracy 
which  baflle  heaven-  to  give  way  to  the  Spirit's 
striving,  he  cuts  himself  off  from  heaven's  help 
and  perishes  in  his  pride. 

2.  He  is  grieved.  "Grieve  not  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God"  (Eph.  iv.  30),  is  of  all  appeals 
addressed  to  erring  man  the  most  pathetic. 
The  Spirit  is  grieved  when  His  goodness  is  dis- 
trusted, and  when  His  striving  is  resisted.  God 
said  of  the  children  of  Israel  that  "they  rebelled 
and  vexed  His  holy  spirit."  (Isa.  Ixiii.  10.) 
Their  carelessness  gave  Him  pain.  After  all  He 
had  done  for  them  He  expected  better  things  at 
their  hands.  And  be  it  noted  that  it  is  to  His  spir- 
itual Israel  that  the  admonition  "Grieve  not  the 
Holy  Spirit"  is  addressed.  Great  is  the  Spirit's 
grief  when  any  soul  slights  His  home-welcome, 
and    remains    in    the   far    country    of    spiritual 

204 


Spiritual  Operations. 

estran<::jement ;  but  greater  is  His  grief  when  one 
in  whom  lie  dwells  resists  all  Ilis  efforts  to  raise 
him  ii[)  into  a  higher  life,  and  in  spite  of  his  in- 
ward protests  allows  himself  to  be  buried  in 
worldliness,  or  to  indulge  in  things  that  are 
wrong.  The  backsliding  Christian  is  repre- 
sented as  "  doing  despite  unto  the  Spirit  of  grace." 
(Ileb.  X.  29.)  He  treats  the  gracious  Spirit  with 
contumely.  By  recpiiting  with  indifference  His 
unremitting  love  he  inflicts  upon  Him  crucifixion 
of  heart.  His  defection  is  not  a  sin  of  ignor- 
ance, but  of  light.  He  knows  better  than  he 
does.  By  his  offense  the  Spirit  is  wounded  in 
the  house  of  His  friends.  Who  can  wound  the 
parental  heart  as  deeply  as  a  child?  and  who  can 
hurt  the  heart  of  the  Blessed  Spirit  as  deeply  as 
one  who  has  made  to  Him  an  open  declaration  of 
love .'' 

But  however  much  the  Holy  Spirit  may  be 
grieved.  He  cannot  be  grieved  away.  Grief  is  a 
form  of  love,  and  love  clings.  Nothing  can 
separate  it  from  its  object.  Over  the  most  way- 
ward soul  that  wrings  His  heart  with  agony  the 
loving  Spirit  exclaims,  "How  shall  I  give  thee 
up?"*  His  interest  is  abiding.  Were  He  with- 
holding anything  needful  for  the  better  life  of  a 
single  soul.  His  grief  would  be  meaningless.    He 

*For  a  fuller  disctisr.ion  of  thi«i  subject   see   the  Author's  "Unto  the 
Uttermost,''  Fords,  Howard  &  Hulbert,  N.  Y. 

205 


i  1 


i 


After  Pentecost,  What? 

sheds  no  unavailing  tears  over  the  inevitable. 
While  sorrowing  for  what  might  have  been,  He 
sorrows  in  hope  for  what  may  yet  be.  "  Grieve 
not  the  Holy  Spirit,"  means  grieve  Him  no  longer. 
Sorrow  enough,  trouble  enougb, heartache  enough 
you  have  already  cost  Him ; henceforth  give  Him 
joy  for  His  sorrow  by  yielding  to  His  drawing, 
as  He  seeks  to  lead  you  into  a  life  of  separation 
from  the  world  and  of  consecration  to  Christ  and 
to  the  things  of  His  kingdom. 

3.  He  is  quenched.  His  light  within  the  soul 
is  put  out.  This  is  easily  done.  It  is  done  by 
indulging  in  habitual  sin,  by  neglecting  the  means 
of  grace,  atid  by  attempting  to  live  a  life  of  spirit- 
ual independence.  The  warning  words,  "  Quench 
not  the  Spirit"  (i  Thess.  v.  15),  refer  specially, 
however,  to  the  quenching  of  the  operations  of 
the  Spirit  which  are  given  for  edifying.  These 
operations  are  quenched  when  the  holy  emotions 
which  He  excites  are  repressed,  and  the  holy  pur- 
poses which  He  awakens  are  stifled.  There  is 
a  natural  shrinking  from  going  all  the  way  that 
the  Spirit  may  take  us.  We  fear  to  commit  our- 
selves unreservedly  into  His  hands;  we  fear  to 
launch  out  into  the  deep  at  His  command;  we 
fear  to  trust  ourselves  to  His  holy  impulses;  we 
fear  lest  the  fire  which  He  has  kindled  in  our  hearts 
should  burn  too  fiercely,  and  we  throw  upon  it 

206 


Spiritual  Operations. 

the  green   log  of  worldly  prudence  to  keep  it 
down.      Bishop  Ellicott  makes  this  fear  of  undue 
ardor  the  prominent  thought  in  his  exposition  of 
this  text.      lie  says,  "The  Eternal  Spirit  is  rep- 
resented as  a  fire  which  it  is  regarded  as  possible 
to  extinguish  by  a  studied   repression  and   disre- 
gard of  its  manifestations,  arising  from    an   erro- 
neous perception  and  a  mistaken  dreadof  enthusi- 
asm." The  exhortation,  "  Quench  not  the  Spirit," 
may  therefore  be  translated  into,  Be  not  afraid  of 
enthusiasm;  do   not  smother  up   the  fire  of  holy 
love;  cherish    every   good   thought  and   purpose 
which  is  the  evidence  of  the  Spirit's  inworking. 
"Stir  up  the  gift  that  is   in   you,"  as  you    would 
stir  up  a   fire;  give   it  air,    supply  it  with   fuel, 
that  it  may  burn  in  a  pure,  white  (lame;  let  it  be 
a  sacredly  tended  altar-fire  which  shall  never  be 
suffered  to  go  out. 

4.  lie  is  blasphemed.  The  blasphemy  against 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  climax  of  iniquity.  It  is 
designated  "the  sin  against  the  Holy  Spirit." 
A  contrast  is  drawn  between  sin  against  the  Son 
of  Man,  and  sin  committed  against  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  former  may  be  passed  over,  the  lat- 
ter never.  "Every  sin  and  blasphemy  shall  be 
forgiven  unto  men,  but  the  blasphemy  against  the 
Spirit  shall  not  be  forgiven.  And  whosoever 
shall  speak  a  word  against  the  Son  of  Man,  it  shall 

207 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

be  forgiven  him  ;  but  whosocvcrshall  speak  against 
the  Holy  vSpirit,  it  shall   not  be    forgiven   him, 
neither  in  this  age  nor  in  that  which  is  to  come. 
(Matt.  xii.  31,  32.)     The  reason  why  this  sin  is 
fraught  with  fatal  conse(iuence  is  that  it  is  a  sin 
against  the  last  and  highest  manifestation  of  God's 
truth,  and  saving  power.      After  the  Holy  Spirit 
there  is  nothing.    He  is  the  final  outgoing  of  God 
for  the  recovery  of  the  lost.     To  sin  against  Him 
is  to  resist  divine  moral  power  in  its  highest  pos- 
sible form.      Men  may  reject  the  historical  Christ 
without  coming  into  condemnation,  for  they  may 
reject  Him  in  ignorance;  but  they  cannot  reject 
the  inward  voice  and  light  of   the   Holy  Spirit 
without   coming    into   condemnation,  for  that  is 
always  a  sin  of  enlightened  and   defiant  opposi- 
tion, and  implies  an  attitude  of  soul  that  precludes 
forgiveness.      It  is  not  a  specific  act  which,  when 
once  committed,  shuts  men  out  forever  from  God's 
pardoning  mercy,  but  a  condition  of  heart  which, 
•mJiUc  it  lasts,  makes   pardon    impossible.      The 
one  who  blasphemes  against  the  Holy  Spirit,  that 
is,  the  one   who  continues  to  blaspheme   against 
the  Holy  Spirit,  has  no  forgiveness  in   any  age; 
for  he   places   himself   outside   the   circle  within 
which  divine  mercy  operates.      He  stills  the  in- 
ward voice  of  the  Divine  Monitor,  and  goes  on 
to  death  unchecked  ;  he  quenches  the  inward  light 

208 


Spiritual  Operations. 

of  heaven,  without  which  the  way  of  life  cannot 
be  found,  and  he  stumbles   on  in  the  blackness  of 
darkness  like  one  in  a  (i.trk  mine  who  has  thrown 
away  his  torch.      He  is  not  abandoned  of  God,  he 
abandons  God.      He  is  not  driven  from  the  divine 
presence    with  the  flamiui,'  seal  of  endless  doom 
upon  his  brow,  to  wander  throuLjh  the  shades  of 
death,  an  unshriven  soul.   iX-libeniteiy,  wilifullv, 
and  persistently  turnin<^'  his  back  upon  the  bj^ht, 
he  goes  away  into  the  outer  darkness  a  self-ex- 
iled,   self-ruined    soul.       Not   too    strontcly   does 
Lange  put.  it,  when   he   says:     "Blasphemously 
to  rebel,  in  opposition  to  one's  better  knowledge 
and  conscience,  against  the  manifestation  and  in- 
fluence  of    the   Holy  Spirit  is   to  commit    moral 
suicide."      It  is  wrong,  however,  to  speak  of  this 
sin  as  "the  unpardonaJjle  sin."     No  sin  is  unpar- 
donable.     All  that  is  aflirmed  of  it  is  that  it  is  an 
71  n pardoned  ■!r,\\\\  and  it  is  now  and   must  forever 
be   an   unpardoned   sin,  not    because    God  in  His 
infinite    mercy    is   unwilling    to    pardon    it,    but 
simply  because  those  who  commit  it  are  in  an  un- 
pardonable condition.      For  the   impenitent  there 
is   pardon   nowhere   and  at  no   time,  but  for  the 
penitent  there  is  pardon  everywhere  and  at  all 
times. 


209 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  IMPAKTATION  OK  SPIUITUAL    POWER. 

"But  when  he  came  the  second  lime, 
He  came  with  power  and  Idvo  ; 
Softer  than  gale  at  morning  prime 

Hovered  the  Holy  I     ve. 
The  fires  that  rushei       om  Sinai  down 

In  trembling  torrid      dread, 
Now  gently  light,  a  gDklen  crown 
On  every  sainted  head" 

Keble. 

The  a^'c  of  the   Spirit  is  tlu-  a^c  of  spiritual 
power,  and   the  liaptism  of   the   Spirit  hy  which 
that  power  is   conferred    is   on'    of    its  most  out- 
standing' features.      When  John  the   lUiplist  was 
instructed    of    Heaven  to  watch    for   the   cominf? 
Messiah,  he  was  told  that   the   one  unmistakable 
si^rn  by  which  He  woidd  be  reco<,nii/.ed  was  His 
rcceivinj^   and   }xivin<,'  the    baptism   of   the  Holy 
Spirit.      "Upon    whomsoever  thou    shalt  seethe 
Spirit  desccndin;^:  and   abidinj^    upon    Him,   the 
same  is  He  that  hapti/eth  with  the  Holy  Spirit." 
(John  i.  33.)     Inheraldinj^' the  cominf,M)f  Christ, 
John  draws  a  contrast  between  the  water  baptism 
which  he  administered  and  the  spiritual  baptism 
which   Christ  was  to  administer,  the  one  being 
merely  the  shadow  of  which  the  other  is  the  sub- 
stance.    "I  baptized  with  water,"  he  says,  "but 

210 


Tlie  Impartation  of  Spiritual  Power. 

lie  shall  hapti/.o  you  with  the  Holy  Spirit." 
(Mark  i.  8.)  John  was  the  livinjf  link  between 
two  dispensations.  He  closed  the  old,  and  in- 
troduced the  new.  He  came  "in  the  s])irit  and 
power  of  Elijah,"  bein«,'  the  medium  throuj^h 
whom  the  spirits  of  the  prophets,  swan-like,  sang 
their  dyinjr  son*,--.  He  came  also  as  the  harl)in- 
^er  of  a  sprinj,'  time  of  spiritual  life  and  power. 
He  pointed  to  the  newly  opened  door  throuL-^h 
which  others  w  ere  to  enter.  Up  to  his  time  there 
w  as  no  one  that  towered  above  him,"  \  et  he  that  is 
but  little  in  the  kin<rdom  of  (iod  is  j^M'eater  than 
he";  not  because  he  is  personally  {greater,  but  be- 
cause he  comes  to  his  mission  clothed  in  the  spirit 
and  power  of  the  Holy  .Spirit, 

Immediately  before  His  departure,  the  risen 
Lord  commanded  His  tlisciples  to  tarry  in  Jeru- 
salem for  the  promise  of  the  Father,  sayin<j,  "  Ve 
shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Spirit  not  many 
days  hence."  (Acts  i.  5.)  The  practical  effect 
of  the  Spirit's  baptism  He  describes  in  the  words, 
"  Ye  shall  receive  power  after  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  come  upon  you,  and  ye  shall  i^e  witnesses  unto 
Me,  both  in  Jerusalem,  anil  in  all  Judea,  and 
Samaria,and  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth." 
(Acts  i.  8.)  At  the  first  blush,  it  is  ditlicult  to 
discover  any  adecpiate  reason  why  the  disciples 
should  have  been  told   to  tarry  before   beginning 

211 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

their  ur<,^cnt    work.      Were   they    not   already    in 
possession   of   all  the    facts    which  constitute   the 
gospel  messa<,'e?      Ves,  but  they  were  not  yet  in 
possession  of  the  power  necessary   to  make  their 
messa-e  effective.      They  needeil  powder  behind 
the  ball  to  drive  it  home.   Without  the  enducment 
of  power  ivoin  on  bi<;h  their  testimony  woultl  fail 
of  its  end.      As   the    prime   condition   of   success 
they  were  to  rely,  not  upon  natural  gifts,  nor  upon 
co-operation  with  world-forces,  nor  upon   organ- 
ization or  machinery,  but  upon  "the  Holy  Spirit 
sent  down  from  heaven."     They  were  to  be   the 
mouthpieces    of   the    Holy    Spirit,    making     His 
breath  articulate.      Their   preaching    was   not   to 
be  "in  word  only"- -however  vehemently  uttered 
—but  "  in  demonstration  of  the   Spirit,"  that   is, 
in   demonstration  borne   by    the   Spirit,  "and    in 
power."      In  accounting  for  their  triumphs   they 
were  to  be  able  to  say,  "Our  gospel  came  not  unto 
you  in  word  only,  but  also  in  power,  and    in    the 
Holy   Spirit,  and    in    much    assurance."      It    was 
not  merelv  that  they  were  lired    with  a   holy    en- 
thusiasm ;  they  were  filled  with  a  ilivine   energy. 
And  so  completely  was  the   human    merged    into 
the  divine  tliat  it  could  be  said  of  them,  "  It  is  not 
yc  that  speak,  but  the   Spirit   of  the  Father   that 
speaketh  in  you."  (Matt.x.  20.)    For  the  effective 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  there  is  nothing  that  is 

212 


The  Impartation  of  Spiritual  Power. 


indispeiisal)lc  but  the  Holy  Spirit.  His  power 
is  the  spiritual  dynamic  or  driving  force,  by 
which  ah  spiritual  resuks  are  accomph'shed.  With- 
out it  leaniip.;  and  elotiuence  are  vain.  It  is 
therefore  v.  i.ic  and  proiitai)le  to  tarry  for  it. 
Those  who  hasten  to  the  work  without  it  come 
back  empty-handed.  One  day's  work  after  the 
baptism  of  power  has  more  spiritual  value  than 
all  the  years  of  ceaseless  toil  that  have  gone  before 
it. 

Here,  then,  we  fnid  three  things  which  require 
to  be  considered  in  their  relation  to  one  another; 
the  work  to  be  done,  the  instrument  to  be  em- 
ployed, and  the  power  upon  which  we  are  to 
depend.  The  work  to  i)e  done  is  the  subjugating 
of  the  world  to  Ciirist,  and  the  establishing  of 
His  kingdom  on  the  earth;  the  instrument  to  be 
employed  is  the  gospel ;  the  power  upon  which 
we  are  to  depend  is  the  Holy  Spirit.  From  the 
work  before  them.  Christians,  conscious  of  their 
feebleness,  might  well  shrink  did  they  not  believe 
that  behind  them,  above  them,  and  within  them 
is  a  power  amply  adeipiate  to  its  accomplishment 
—  a  power  capable  of  lifting  them  above  them- 
selves, and  of  making  them  equal  to  any  emer- 
gency, and  sulhcient  to  e\  ery  demand.  In  words 
which  have  in  them  a  suggestion  of  finality, 
Christ  asserts  the  absoluteness  of  the  power  which 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


He  delegates  to  His  people.  "  All  power"  (or 
authority),  He  says,  "hath  been  given  unto  Me, 
in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Go  ye  therefore  and 
make  discijjles  of  all  the  nations,  baj)tizing  them 
into  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
of  the  Holy  Spirit."  (Matt,  xxviii.  i8,  19.) 
These  words  Professor  A.  IJ.  Bruce  paraphrases 
thus:  "I  have  all  power  in  heaven,  and  jurisdic- 
tion over  all  the  earth ;  go  ye  therefore  into  all 
the  wor'd,  making  disciples  of  all  the  nations, 
nothing  doubting  that  all  spiritual  influences,  and 
all  providential  agencies  will  be  subservient  to 
the  groat  errand  upon  which  I  send  you."*  All 
that  Christ  has  received  He  gives  unto  His  people, 
that  with  infinite  resources  at  their  command 
the}  may  be  able  to  turn  to  practical  account  all 
con(.itlons  and  events,  and  make  all  earthly  in- 
uuences  contribute  to  the  working  out  of  the 
world's  redemption.  He  has  nothing  more  to 
add  and  they  have  nothing  more  to  look  for. 
Heaven's  ultimate  has  been  reached;  heaven's 
best  has  been  bestowed.  Nothing  that  is  really 
necdeil  to  (jualify  His  people  for  the  task  put  into 
their  hands,  is  \vilhhel(l.  All  that  He  has  is 
theirs;  theirs  for  the  taking  ;  theirs  for  the  using. 
Why,  then,  should  an}'  one  remain  weak?  Wny 
should    any  one    llinch    before  dilHculties    or    be 

•"The  Traiuing  of  the  Twelve,"  p.  534. 

214 


The  Impartation  of  Spiritual  Power. 

shadowed  by  the  fear  of  failure?  Is  not  the  great- 
ness of  the  gift  of  power  a  sulhcieiit  reason  wh}' 
the  Lord's  servant  should  not  fail  nor  he  discour- 
aged till  judgment  he  set  in  the  earth,  and  the 
isles  shall  wait  for  the  law  of  the  world's  true 
king? 

When,  on  the   day    of    Pentecost,    the    coveted 
power  was  received,  the  disciples  were    re-uiadc. 
Those  who  had  quailed  before  the  world's   scorn 
became  l)rave  as    lions;  pigmies    became   giants; 
cowards  l)ecame  heroes  ;  deserters  became  leaders  ; 
waverers    became    martyrs.      Those    who     were 
weak  in  themselves  became  ''strong  in  the    Lord 
and  in  the  power  of  ilis  might ;"  ordinary  Chris- 
tians, "strengthenetl    with    might    through    His 
Spirit  in  the    inward  man,"   became  "  mighty    in 
word  and  deed;"   Christians  dumb  through    dull- 
ness,   "baptized    with    tlie  Holy    Spirit  and  with 
fire,"  felt  within  them  •' a  spirit  (jf  burning,"  ami 
became  fire-tongueti  evangelists;  those    who   had 
never  quickened  in  otin-rs  a  single    pulse-beat   of 
noble  impulse  became  aggressi\e  reformers   who 
rousetl  the  slmnbering    consciences   of    men,  and 
turned  the  work!  ujiside    down.       Hut,  it  may    be 
said,  all  this  took  |)luce  in  a  lime   long    gone    by. 
What  of  the  present?      Is  the  power   which    was 
given  to  the  disciples  at    Pentecost   given    to   the 
disciples  of  to-day  ?     Was  Pentecost  a  freshet   or 

215 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


the  opening  of  a  perennial  fountain?  Did  the 
great  outbreaking  and  outflowing  of  pent  up 
power  which  then  took  place  exhaust  the  energy 
of  the  Spirit?  Has  the  rushing,  mighty  wind 
with  which  the  coming  of  the  Spirit  was  accom- 
panied no  longer  any  significance;  or  is  it  still  a 
symbol  of  that  power  which  yet  unspent  sweeps 
through  the  centuries,  bringing  to  naught  the 
devices  of  men,  and  bringing  to  sure  fultillment 
the  purposes  of  God? 

In  Ezekiel's  vision  of  the  rising  river  whose 
waters  fertilize  the  waste  places  of  the  world, 
the  answer  to  these  questions  is  prophetically 
anticipated.  In  that  sublime  vision  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Spirit's  power,  if  not  distinctly  fore- 
shadowed, is  at  least  graphically  illustrated.  The 
waters  which  issue  from  the  threshold  of  the  tem- 
ple, hard  by  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  although  small 
at  first,  gradually  increase  in  volume  and  power. 
The  prophet  and  his  guide  follow  the  stream  a 
thousand  cubits,  cross  it,  and  find  it  ankle-deep; 
they  walk  along  the  banks  a  thousand  cubits  more, 
wade  in,  and  find  it  knee-deep;  they  ford  it  the 
third  time  when  they  have  gone  a  thousand  cubits 
farther,  and  find  it  up  to  the  loins;  they  walk  on 
still  another  thousand  cubits  and  cannot  recross 
it,  for  the  waters  have  risen,  and  have  become 
large  enough  to  swim   in.     Thus   it  is   that  the 

216 


The  Impartation  of  Spiritual  Power. 

river  of  divine  power  flows  adown  the  aj^es, 
gradually  increasing  from  a  tiny  stream  which 
cliildren  at  play  can  dam  up,  to  a  majestic  river 
overflowing  its  lianks,  and  sweeping  everything 
before  it  in  its  resistless  might.  At  what  point 
are  the  waters  now?  Did  they  long  ago  reach 
Uieir  highest  mark  and  are  they  now  sul)sicHn<r? 
No !  They  are  now  at  full  flood.  Nor  do  they 
show  any  sign  of  abatement.  From  the  flrst  they 
have  flowed  on  with  undiminished  power,  and 
shall  continue  so  to  flow  until  by  their  life-tj-ivln"- 
influence  every  Dead  Sea  has  been  healed,  and 
every  desert  place  reclaimed  and  made  to  blossom 
as  the  rose. 

In  this  new  epoch,  spiritual  power  is  the  al)id- 
ing  possession  of  the  church.  Some  measure  of 
it  all  Christians  jiossess  in  virtue  of  the  essential 
saving  baptism  of  the  Spirit  by  which  they  are 
united  to  the  spiritual  body  of  Christ.  With 
many  the  measure  received  anil  used  is  well-ni<'-h 
iniinitesimal.  They  have  "a  little  strength," 
enough  to  keep  them  from  denying  Christ's 
name,  but  not  enough  to  make  them  mighty  in 
witnessing  for  Him.  Others  have  merely  "a 
residue  of  the  Spirit"  (Mai.  ii.  15),  the  dregs  of  a 
former  abundance,  the  mouldy  manna  of  yester- 
day's gathering.  They  live  upon  a  memory  of  a 
past  experience;  and  hence  their  testimony   for 

217 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


Christ  is  dim  and  feeble.  To  make  their  witness- 
beariig  clear  and  bright,  what  is  needed?  A  new 
effusion  of  the  Spirit  ?  No  ;  but  a  fuller  infilling  of 
the  Spirit.  A  new  gift  of  power?  No;  but  a  new 
baptism  of  power.  Every  life  which  is  powerful 
in  its  testimony  for  Christ  is  a  life  unio  which 
the  Spirit  has  come  with  power.  Every  church 
which  has  been  converted  from  a  company  of 
mutes  into  a  witnessing  body  is  a  church  which 
has  received  the  Spirit  in  Pentecostal  fullness. 
Every  Christian  who  unites  himself  completely 
with  the  Spirit  of  power  ceases  to  be  a  spiritual 
nonentity.  The  possibilities  of  his  life  are  to  be 
measured,  not  .-y  what  he  himself  can  do,  but  by 
what  the  Spirit  of  God  can  do  in  him,  and  by 
him.  Upborne  upon  the  tide  of  divine  power, 
he  is  lifted  up  to  spiritual  heights  by  himself  for- 
ever unattainable.  The  power  of  the  Highest 
rests  upon  him.  He  is  clothed  with  power  as  a 
garment.  Through  the  Spirit  of  God  immanent  in 
his  soul  his  enfeebled  nature  is  so  energized  that 
all  his  weakness  is  swallowed  up  in  strength, 
and  he  becomes  a  medium  through  whom  mighty 
works  are  wrought.  Horace  lUishnell  speaks 
of  Cromwell  as  "a  battle-axe  swung  by  the  Lord 
Almighty."  Every  one  empowered  of  the  Spirit 
is  the  in 'trument  of  the  Almighty  to  execute  His 
will.      To  him  is  the  promise  given,  "Behold,   I 

2l8 


^^\V' 


The  Impartation  of  Spiritual  Power. 

will  make  thee  a  new  threshing  instrument  hav- 
ing teeth  ;  thou  shalt  thresh  the  mountains  and 
beat  them  small,  and  shalt  make  the  hills  as  chaff. 
Thou  shalt  fan  them,  and  the  wind  shall  carry 
them  away,  and  the  whirlwind  shall  scatter  them  ; 
and  thou  shalt  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  thou  shalt  glory 
in  the  Holy  One  of  Israel."     (Isa.  xli.  15,  16.) 

In  looking  for  signs  of  the  Spirit's  baptism 
grievous  mistakes  are  often  made.  A  spectacular 
religious  experience  is  counted  higher  than  the 
commonplace  experience  of  God's  hidden  ones 
who  live  lives  of  true  heroism  in  the  midst  of 
the  most  untoward  surroundings.  It  is  scarcely 
possible  to  over-emphasize  the  truth  that  the 
Spirit's  baptism  is  not  something  apart  from 
life's  ordinary  experiences,  l)ut  is  a  thing  for 
daily  use  in  this  work-a-day  world.  It  is  given 
to  make  us  calm  and  patient  inider  life's  trials, 
to  make  us  robust  and  stalwart  for  life's  enter- 
prises. It  is  given  to  cpiicken  our  activity, 
to  fortify  our  courage,  to  sustain  our  hopes, 
to  hold  us  up  to  our  highest  ideals,  and  enable 
us  to  do  the  best  of  which  we  are  capal>le. 
As  a  rule  it  comes  in  a  holy  hush  rather  than 
in  violent  shocks  of  emotion,  in  deliberate  pur- 
pose of  deeper  consecration  rather  than  in  rap- 
ture delicious  or  ecstasy  divine;  it  is  exhibited 
in    quietness    rather    than    in    noise,    in  stability 

219 


After  Pentecost,  What  r 


rather    than    in    hrilliancy,    in   stout  bcariii};    of 
burdens    rather    than   in   spasms,  in   patic-nt  con- 
tinuance    in     well-doinjij     rather     than     in    occa- 
sional spurts  of  reliffious  industry.  The  man  uj)on 
whom  the  power  of  the  Spirit  rests  will    concen- 
trate His  enerj^ies  to   the    attainment   of    ilefmite 
ends.      He  will  feather  the  scattered  rays  of  influ- 
ence in  His  life  into  one   hurninj^'    focus,  sayinj^s 
"This  one  thing  I  do."     Witii  sin<ileness  of  eye 
and  aim  He  will  push  straij^dit  to  the  mark.     His 
life  will  not  he  like  a  whirlwind  of  llame,  or  like 
a  meteor  bla/,in<^  across  the  heavens,  hut  like  the 
sun  pursuing  his  appointed   course    from   day    to 
day.      His  witness-hearing  will   not   he   confined 
to  special  occasions,  but  will  cover  his  entire  life  ; 
it  will  not  consist  merely  or  maiidv    in    the   per- 
formance  of  a  few  grand  and  heroic  deeds  which 
fill  the  world   with  wonder,  hut   in   steady   plod- 
ding along  the  dusty  way  of  uneventful  duty.    The 
Spirit's  baptism    will    inspire    the   bread-winner 
with  courage;  the  mother  with  patience  of  hope; 
the  confirmed  invalid  with  resignation  ;  the  nursi.' 
with  sympathy  and  gentleness;  the  man  of  affairs 
with  resourcefulness ;  the    servant  of   the  jnihlic 
with  fidelity  to  trust.    And  what  more  convincing 
evidence  of  the  inworking  of  tlie  Spirit's   power 
can  be  found  than  a  deep  spiritual  purpose  worked 
out  naturally  and  unobtrusively  in  a  simple,  well 
balanced,  and  useful  life? 

2  20 


I 


The  Impartation  of  Spiritual  Power. 

Because  of  the  dim  and  nebulous  views  which 
obtain  concerninjr  the  Holy  Spirit,  many  who  are 
looking  and  longing  for  Ilis  baptism  expect  it  to 
come  upon  them    in    some    magical    way    as    an 
adlatus,  a  galvanic   shock,    an    electric   thrill,  an 
enswathement  in  a  subtle   ether   or    tire    mist,  or 
as  a  tide  of  liquid    fire   sweeping   over   the   soul. 
This  conception  of  things  has  l)eeii  strengthened 
by  the  testimonies  of   eminent    saints    who    have 
mistaken  the  physical  excitement   accompanying 
some  great   spiritual   change    in    their    lives,  fo- 
the  change  itself.    To  cite  one   case  from   among 
many- -President    Finney,  describing    a  distinct 
and  definite  change    which  took  place  in  his  life, 
after    conversion,   says,   "The    Holy   Spirit    de- 
scended upon  me  in  a  manner  that  seemed  to  go 
tlirough  me,  body  and  soul.      I  could  feel  the  im- 
pression like  a  wave  of  electricity  going  through 
and  through    me.      Indeed,  it  seemed    to   come'in 
waves    and  waves  of   liquid   love,  for  I  could  ex- 
press it  no  other  way.      It   seemed   like;   the  very 
breath  of  God.      I  can    recollect   distinctly  that  it 
seemed  to  fan  me   like   immense   wings."*     Can 
there  be  the  slightest  doubt  that  these  sensations, 
so  dramatically  described,  were  purely  physical, 
and   were  the   natural   effect   of    violent   emotion 
upon  the  highly  strung  and  overwrought  nerves 
♦"Memoirs  of  Rev.  Chas.  G.  Finney,"  p.  jo. 

221 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


of  a  strong  and  sensitive  nature?  They  could 
have  been  experienced  oidy  \iy  one  possessing  a 
volcanic  temperament.  They  possessed  no  sjii rit- 
ual quality  whatever.  Certainly  they  can  not  be 
included  in  the  list  of  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  jjiven 
by  vSt.  P'lul;  bein<j^  different  in  nature  and  be- 
lonf^ing  to  a  different  catejijory.  The  two  facts 
of  spiritual  significance  which  lay  behind  tlicin 
were  the  complete  siilimission  of  the  soul  to  (iod 
and  its  possession  by  the  Spirit;  but  these  facts 
were  in  no  way  dependent  upon  them,  and  might 
have  existed  had  they  been  absent. 

If  any  one  desires  the  baptism  of  the  vSpirit's 
power,  how  is  it  to  be  got?  Hy  asking  for  it. 
The  Heavenly  Father  gives  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
them  that  ask  Ilim;  not  to  them  who  a^-oiiizc, 
but  to  them  who  ask;  and  He  gives  in  increased 
measure  to  them  who  ask  for  more.  .Spiritual 
power  is  not  produced  by  the  friction  of  self-ex- 
citation; no  prolonged  exercises  are  rerpiired  to 
obtain  it.  It  comes  by  divine  comminiication, 
and  it  comes  as  soon  as  it  is  asked.  When  the 
soul's  mouth  is  opened  wide,  God  fills  it.  Do 
not  the  disciples  of  to-day  recjuire  to  wait  in 
prayer  for  the  promised  power,  as  the  early  dis- 
ciples did  at  Pentecost?  Yes;  but  with  this  differ- 
ence ;  the  early  disciples  waited  to  obtain  what  had 
not  yet  been  given;  we  wait  to  receive  what  has 

2  2  2 


The  Impartation  of  Spiritual  Power. 

been  priven;  they  waited  for  the  dawnin-  of  the 
new  dispensation;  we,  livin-  i„  that  dispc^isation, 
wait  for   the    fulhiess   of   the   hlessin-   whicli    it 
hrin-s.      And  seein-  that  Go<l  Ili.nself  is  waitin- 
to  impart  what  we  are  so  anxions  to  receive,  the 
time  of  waitinjr  need  not  lie  lon^'.      The  idea  of 
man  waitinjr  upon  God  must  not  overshadow  the 
ecpially  important  idea  of  God  waitin-  upon  man. 
It  is  true  that  the  disciples  waited  ten  .lavs   n|)<.n 
God  at  Pentecost,  l)ut  it  is  eriuaUy  true  that  God 
waited  ten  days  upon  them.      ThJ  preparation  re- 
quired was  in   them,  not   in  Ilim;    thev  did   not 
wait  until  God  was  ready,  (}od  waited   until  they 
were  ready.      The  "incubation  period,"  as  Pro- 
fessor Bruce  calls   the   ten    days'  waitin-,  was  a 
period  of  spiritual    quickenin-   and    enlar<,rement 
and  preparation.      The  attitude  of  God   towards 
His  people  is  still  unchan-ed.      "  The  Lord  waits 
that   He   may  he  -racious."     He  waits  to  endow 
the   feeblest   saint    with  all  the  power  that  he  is 
prepared  to  receive.      What  He  has  ,t,Mven  is  but 
the  earnest  of  the  greater  thinj^^s  which  He  stands 
ready  to  {,Hve.      The  hope  is  cherished  that  a  new 
era  of  spiritual  power  is  about  to  break  upon  us. 
It  cannot  come  too  soon;  and  come  it  will,  just  as 
soon  as  the  church,  appreciatinjr  the  -lorious  pos- 
sibilities of   the   present   dispensation,  hegins  to 
draw    upon    Heaven's    reserved    resources.     Of 

223 


After  IVntccosl,  VVluil? 

these  resources  tb-  .  no  limit;  and  from  them 
God  ^'ives  out  as  lon^'  as  man  will  take,  lie 
never  stops  K'^'i^n  ""^''  '"""  ^^*^1^^  askinj^. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  life  of  the  church  is 
fitful,  that  her  love  lanKnishes,  that  her  zeal  de- 
clines, and  that  her  power  decays  when  she  per- 
sists in  waitin-;/'/-  (iod  instead  oi  waiting  /'/«« 
God?      Her  hi^'lu-st  hoi)e  has  come  to  he  that  she 
mi<;ht  he  mercifully  hlcsl  with  an  occasional  visi- 
tation of    tlie    Holy  Spirit,  when    what  is  needed 
to  raise  her  out  of  her  letharj^y  and  weakness,  and 
spiritualize  all  her  activities,  is  not  a  movement 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  towards  her,  but  a  movement 
on  her  part  towards  the  Spirit ;  not  thedowncom- 
ing,  but  the   incoming,'  of  the  Spirit;  not  a  fresh 
ontpourinK,  hut  many   a   fresh    inpourinj;  of  the 
Spirit.      Christians  are  not  to  pray  for  the  advent 
(f    the    Spirit;    they    are  to  pray  that  their  eyes 
r.ay   be    opened    to    the    ^lory    of    His   presence; 
they  are  not  to  pray  for  His  descent,  but  for  His 
inhabitation;  they  are   not  to  af^onize    to  brinj; 
Him    near,  they  are  to  recognize    His    nearness; 
they  are  not  to  seek  Him   in   the  heavens,  but  in 
their  hearts;  they  are  not  to  set  themselves  to  ob- 
tain  His  power  as  a  gift  ungrantcd,  they  are  to 
receive  in  larger  abundance  the  gift  of  power  al- 
ready given;  they  are  not  to  expend   their  labor 
in  endeavoring  to  induce  the  Lord  to  make  over 

224 


The  Impartation  of  Spiritual  Power. 

to  them  a  new  inheritance,  they  are  to  fulfill  the 
conditions  necessary  to  iniinediate  entrance  upon, 
and  complete  possession  of  the  wonderful  inherit- 
ance which  is  already  tln-irs.  The  trouhle  ahoutoh- 
tainin;,'  increased  spiritual  power  is  not  with  the 
Spirit,  hut  witii  ourselves.  What  we  need  is  in- 
creased power  of  spiritual  appropriation.  The 
Spirit  is  as  really  wilh  us  as  Christ  was  with  His 
disciples  during,'  His  incarnate  state.  As  the 
mij^hty  power  which  moves  throu<,'h  all  thiiii,'s, 
and  hy  which  all  tliin.t,rs  nvv  moved,  He  is  ev.rat 
work  in  our  behalf;  anil  what  we  have  to  do  is 
to  hriii^  ourselves  into  connection  with  Him,  and 
keep  in  connection  with  Him. 

To  illustrate :  A  trolley  car  has  come  to  a  sud- 
den stop.  The  motorman  keeps  turniui^  the  lever, 
hut  to  no  avail.  "What  is  the  matter.?"  he  is 
asked.  "The  power  is  off,"  is  the  reply,  "and  I 
suppose  tliere  is  nothiuj^  for  it  but  to  wait  until 
the  current  is  turned  on  aj^ain."  Tliin^^s  look 
serious.  The  power-liou.-^e  is  in  the  city,  several 
miles  distant.  Perhaps  tiie  ep^ine  has  broken 
down.  The  passen<fers  are  <,n-owin(>  impatient, 
and  are  preparin<if  to  walk, when  from  a  car  which 
goes  whi//.injr  past  in  the  opposite  direction  comes 
the  mirtliful  sliout,  "Your  pole  is  off!"  There 
had  really  been  no  necessity  for  waiting:;  the  cm-- 
rent  had  not  been  turned  off;  the  engine  had  not 

225 


After  Pentexost,  What  ? 


broken  down ;    all  the  trouble  lay  in  the  fact  that 
the   connection   had   been   broken.      The   pole  is 
replaced,  and  inslanlly  the  car  resumes  its  course. 
Here  we  have  a  picture  of  a  church.      It  is  mak- 
ing no  progress;  its  work  is  at  a  stand-stil' ;  it  is 
waiting  for  power.      The  trouble  is  not  that  the 
power  is  off ;  the  folc  is  off.     The  power  of  God, 
which  came  down   from   heaven  at  Tenlecost,  is 
in  constant  operation,  but  ofttimes  our  connection 
with  it  is  broken.      What  must  be  done  then  is  to 
restore  the  coiniection  with  the  power  that  is  ever 
working  for  salvation. 

The  Holy  Spirit  will  be  only  too  glad  to  give 
any  one  all  the  power  he  is  prepared  to  use,.      He 
can    have    no    object  in   keeping    it    back    for    a 
sinole    moment.      Into   the   open   heart    He   will 
enter  as   air   rushes  in  by  the   open   door,  or  as 
ligbt  enters  by  the  open   window.      Much   wres- 
tUng  with  our  stubborn  hearts,  to  bring  them  into 
a  state  of   receptivity,  may   be   required,  but  no 
wrestling  with  the  Holy  Spirit  to  overcome  His 
unwillingness,  no  frantic  effort  to  wring  a  reluc- 
tant  blessing    from    His   hand,  is  ever  required. 
The  simple,  single  condition  requisite  for  the  en- 
joyment of  His    pre  ,ence    and    power    is  thp'  '  x- 
pressed    in    the    words,  "  Receive    ye    the    iioly 
Spirit."     Receive  what  hea'  en  has  already  pro- 
vided  and   placed   within   your   reach;  claim   as 

226 


The  Impartation  of  Spiritual  Power. 

your  own  the  rich  heritage  that  is  really  yours ; 
take  in  all  that  God  has  j,nven  out ;  give  the  Spirit 
more  of  yourself,  and  He  will  give  you  more  of 
Himself;  give  Him  more  heart-room  and  He 
will  give  you  more  of  His  company;  give  Him 
more  faith  and  He  will  give  you  more  power; 
throw  open  to  Him  the  door  of  your  spirit- 
home,  and  He  will  come  in,  filling  every 
chamber  with  the  splendor  of  His  presence, 
making  the  whole  life  luminous  in  its  testi- 
mony for  truth  and  righteousness.  Get  up  above 
the  cloud-line  of  doubt,  of  darkness  and  of 
despair,  into  the  mount  of  spiritual  vision;  live 
in  the  sunshine  of  the  divine  presence  until  it 
saturate  your  entire  spiritual  being;  inbreathe 
the  pure  air  of  the  celestial  sphere  until  every 
blood-')rop  of  the  soul  tingles  with  new  life  ;  press 
on  through  the  ever  :;:ii-rowin'4  circles  of  the 
phenomeiu.1  that  close  the  spirit  in,  until  you 
stand  at  the  living  center  of  universal  power ;  and 
vibrant  to  the  Spirit's  .sii.;.. test  toiich,  the  healing 
power  that  flowed  in  fullness  from  the  Christ 
shall  go  out  of  you  to  ev  -ry  suffering  soul  who 
may  but  touch  the  hem  of  your  garment. 


227 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  PRODUCTION   OF  SI'IHITU  'I, 

"It  is  plain  that  if  Christ  be  dead  L  e  c  v 
ling  demons  and  destroying  idols." 


VORKS. 
.        it  be  expel- 
Athanasius. 


The  Holy  Spirit  descended  in  power  at  Pente- 
cost that  He  miglit  continue  the  work  of  Christ 
in  the  world.      The  importance  of  His  work  lies 
in  this,  that   it   joins  on  to  the  work  of   Christ, 
takinf^  that  work  up  at  the    point   where   Christ 
left  it  off,  and  not  merely  carrying  it  on,  but  car- 
rying it  forward  to  a  new  sta<^e  of  development. 
Death,  which  ends  the  work  of  man,  did  not  even 
interrupt  the  work  of   Christ.      His  activity,  iis- 
stead  of  endinj,'  with   His  earthly   life,  hr    bcjn 
continued    and    increased    in    the  activit;    if   Ji'.c 
Holy    Spirit.      He  died    in  weakness,  like  oil,^r 
men,  but  He  rose  a<^aiin  in  mi^^hty  power  to  wo:  k 
in   the  world   in   a  new   and  enlarged  way.      His 
productive  power  has  been  increased  rather  than 
diminished.    "  The  things  which  He  be;^iii  both  to 
do  and  to  teach,  until  the  time  that  He  was  taken 
up"  (Acts.  i.  2),  have,  since  the  time  that  Ho  was 
taken  up,been  carried  forward  by  His  H  ,(^  "esenta- 
tive.    The  record  of  the  things  which  1 1'.^   i-:'   lone 
and  taught,  through  the  Spirit,  since  Hi^  >ih  'ei;- 

7.28 


The  Production  of  Spiritual  Works. 


sion, constitutes  all  that  is  vahiable  in  the  history  of 
the  church,  from  the  first  chapter  of  "  The  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,"  down  to  the  account  of  the  latest 
missionary  triumph,  or  the  latest  development  of 
truth.  The  work  that  He  is  now  doing  through 
the  Spirit  is  the  same  in  kind  as  the  work  that 
filled  Ilis  hands  when  He  walked  upon  the  earth. 
No  sharp  line  of  distinction  is  ever  drawn  in 
Scripture  between  the  work  of  Christ  and  the 
work  of  the  Spirit.  The  two  coalesce.  The  dec- 
laration of  Jesus  that  He  cast  out  demons  by 
"the  finger  of  (iod"  (Luke  xi.  20)  is  interpreted 
by  Augustine  to  mean  tb.at  He  cast  tbem  out 
by  the  power  of  the  Spirit.  The  explanation 
given  by  Peter  of  the  wonders  wrought  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost  was  that  Jesus,  "being 
by  the  right  hand  of  (iod  cxaltL-d,  and  having  re- 
ceived the  promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit, hath  poured 
out  this  which  ye  see  and  hear."  (Acts  ii.  32.) 
The  Spirit,  as  Christ's  ascension  gift,  was  in  a 
sense  a  larger  gift  of  Himself.  Gift  and  giver 
are  one.  When  the  .Spirit  was  given,  Christ  was 
given.  And  when  the  Spirit  is  now  given, 
Christ  is  given;  when  the  Spirit  is  now  present, 
Christ  is  present,  when  the  Spirit  now  works, 
Christ  works.  By  the  Spirit's  exhaustless  en- 
ergy and  ceaseless  activity  Cbrist  is  making  Him- 
self felt  in  the  whole  of  human  life  f or  the  actual- 

2  2Q 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


izing  of  redemption.  When  it  is  said  of  the  early 
disciples  that  they  went  forth  preaching  the  gos- 
pel, "the  Lord  working  with  them,"  what  is  evi- 
dently meant  is  that  the  Lord,  to  make  their 
message  effective,  joined  forces  with  them  by  His 
Spirit;  when  it  is  said  that  "the  Lord  added  to 
the  church  daily  such  as  were  being  saved,"  what 
is  evidently  meant  is  that  those  in  whom  the 
process  of  salvation  had  begun  were  led  at  once 
by  the  Spirit  into  the  fellowship  of  the  church; 
when  it  is  said  that  "miracles  were  wrought  by 
the  hands  of  the  aposth's  in  the  name  of  Christ," 
what  is  evidently  meant  is  that  miracles  were 
wrought  in  His  name  by  the  power  of  the  Spirit; 
when  it  is  said  that  from  within  the  veil  the  riser 
Christ  gave  personal  direction  to  the  labors  of 
His  servants,  what  is  evidently  meant  is,  that  al- 
though out  of  sight,  by  the  Spirit  He  kept  His 
hand  upon  them  and  controlled  their  movements. 
All  the  outgoings  and  ongoings  of  the  Spirit's 
redemptive  energy  furnish  proof  that  Christ  has 
returned  in  power  and  that  He  is  now  living  and 
working  in  the  world. 

As  the  Executive  of  Christ  the  Spirit  is  work- 
ing tirelessly  for  the  regeneration  of  e  ruined 
world.  In  His  constant  activity  the  inner  and 
eternal  life  of  Christ  is  manifested,  A  thought- 
ful boy  j'.sked  his  mother.  "What  does  the  Holy 

230 


The  Production  of  Spiritual  Works. 

Spirit  get  to  do  in  the  world ;  what  is  good  enough 
to  occupy  liim?"  The  work  which  He  finds 
worthy  of  His  best  thought,  the  work  upon  which 
His  interest  is  centered  and  His  effort  expended, 
•  is  the  work  in  which  Christ  wore  Himself  out,  the 
work  for  wliich  He  gave  Himself  in  sacrifice 
upon  the  cross.  To  that  work  all  His  enero-jes 
are  given;  into  it  He  throws  Himself  with  an 
abandon  born  of  infinite  love. 

The  relation  of  the  Spirit's  work  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  upon  the  earth 
is  oftentimes  completely  overlooked.      The  affir- 
mation is  made  and  reiterated  that  Christ's  king- 
dom is  built  up  upon  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount; 
but  the  distinction  is  not  always  observed  between 
what  the   kingdom  is  built  up  npon^  and  what  it 
is  built  up  by.      It  is    indeed   built   up   upon   the 
ethical  principles  enunciated  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  but  it  is   built   up  by  the   power  of  the 
Holy    Spirit.      Christianity    is   something   more 
than  a  system  of  ethics;  it  is  a  thing  of   life  and 
power.      It  not  only  shows  men   what  is  ritrht, 
but  also  empowers  them  to  do  it.      The  Spirit  is 
the  spiritual  dynamic  which  gives  to  the  ethical 
teaching  of  Jesus   practical    effect.      Apart   from 
the  Spirit's  working,  Jesus   would  be  simply  a 
teacher  of  morals,  and  not  a  Savior;  and  His  gos- 
pel, instead  of  being  the  power  of  God  unto  sal- 

231 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


vation,  would  be  simply  the  declaration  of  correct 
ethical  principles.  Take  out  of  Christianity  he 
idea  of  the  risen,  ascended,  ever-living,  ever- 
working  Christ  now  present  in  the  world  in  th^ 
Spirit,  and  it  is  shorn  of  its  power.  In  the  ac- 
tivity of  Christ  in  the  pre  nt,  the  emphasis 
ought  to  be  placed  upon  what  lie  is  doing  rather 
than  upon  what  He  is  teaching,  that  those  who 
acknowledge  Ilim  to  be  a  growing  liglit  may  also 
acknowledge  Him  to  be  a  growing  power.  We 
sometimes  forget  that  Christ  came  not  only  to 
teach  something,  but  to  do  something;  that  He 
came  not  only  to  complete  a  revelation,  but  to  ac- 
complish a  work.  His  work  is  not  yet  done.  So 
long  as  there  is  one  soul  exiled  from  the  Father's 
house,  or  one  earthly  principality  or  power  un- 
subordinated to  the  rule  of  God,  the  work  that 
He  is  now  carrying  on  by  the  Holy  Spirit  will 
be  continued.  The  Spirit's  operations  will  cease 
when  the  work  of  human  redemption  has  been 
completed,  and  not  before. 

The  power  from  on  high  by  which  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  is  established  is  mediated  to  the 
world  by  men.  It  is  not  put  into  organizations, 
but  into  souls.  It  is  not  an  abstraction,  but  an 
incarnation.  It  is  power  personalized.  Those 
who  receive  the  Spirit  are  not  simply  clothed 
with  the  Spirit;  the  Spirit  clothes  Himself  with 

232 


The  Production  of  Spiritual  Works. 

them.  He  hvcs  and  acts  through  tliem.  The 
power  which  they  transmit  from  Ilim  to  the 
world  is  not  mechanical,  but  vital.  It  is  of  the 
nature  of  personal  influence.  For  them  to  work 
is  for  the  Holy  Spirit  to  work;  for  them  to  pour 
out  their  lives  in  holy  service  is  for  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  be  poured  out.  When  the  Spirit  has  a 
work  to  do,  He  needs  men  to  do  it.  What  could 
He  have  done  at  Pentecost  without  a  Peter  to 
represent  Him,  and  to  speak  for  Him?  Unless 
He  can  find  a  consecrated  personality  through 
which  to  work,  His  hands  are  tied.  In  the  early 
days  of  Christianity  religion  was  intensely  indi- 
vidualistic. It  lived  in  human  hearts  before  it 
was  embodied  in  human  organizations.  It  was 
inwrought  into  the  experience  of  individual  saints 
l)efore  it  was  crystallized  into  a  system.  It  was 
inspirational  before  it  was  institutional.  Organ- 
ization was  then  at  its  minimum  and  individual 
action  at  its  maximum.  The  individual  was  not 
lost  in  the  organization,  as  he  now  too  often  is. 
"  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles,"  which  is  merely  a 
book  of  examples,  is  the  record  of  individual 
work.  When  the  Spirit  fell  upon  the  disciples, 
instead  of  being  formed  into  a  solid  phalanx,  they 
were  "scattered  abroad."  As  soon  as  Jesus  went 
up  they  went  forth.  No  longer  did  they  wait  in 
prayer.     Working    took    the    place    of    waiting. 

23  j 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


Each  one  enj^^aged  in  the  work  of  the  Lord  in 
the  power  that  was  given  to  him.  In  every 
breast  a  new  sense  of  responsibiUty  was  born. 
Just  as  it  is  when  the  home  circle  is  broken 
up,  and  each  chikl  goes  forth  to  form  a  new 
center  which  shall  help  to  renew  and  enlarge 
the  world's  life,  so  when  Jesus  was  taken  up 
each  of  His  disciples  endeavored  to  become  a 
new  center  of  infiucnce  in  the  enlargement  of 
the  kingdom.  The  spiritual  wealth  held  by  His 
followers  in  trust  was  not  allowed  to  become 
congested,  but  was  freely  and  generously  dis- 
tributed. They  were  the  Spirit's  almoners. 
They  were  His  intelligent  agents,  and  not  His 
unconscious  instruments.  Their  individuality 
was  respected,  and  was  neither  crushed  out  nor 
overborne.  What  they  did  they  did  not  as  autom- 
atons, but  as  men.  This  free  and  personal 
service  the  Spirit  always  seeks.  He  is  ready  to 
work  through  any  individual  who  is  willing  to 
be  used  by  Him.  He  does  not  wait  for  organi- 
zation, He  wait?  for  personal  willingness.  He 
does  not  scorn  the  efforts  of  the  humblest  Cliristian 
who  tries  to  help  the  kingdom  on.  When  the  best 
offering  that  love  can  bring  is  "a  pair  of  turtle 
doves"  it  is  just  as  acceptable  as  a  hecatomb  of 
oxen.  The  very  purpose  for  which  He  imparts 
power  is  that  it  may  produce  a  willingness  to 

234 


The  Production  of  Spiritual  Works. 


work.  The  Lord's  people  "offer  themselves 
willingly  in  the  day  of  His  power."  (Ps.  ex.  3.) 
ReceiviiiLj  the  baptism  of  power,  they  become 
willing-hearted  workers  for  Christ.  Every 
particle  of  power  which  they  receive  is  em- 
ployed in  reproducing  the  works  of  Christ. 
What  is  given  as  power  is  given  back  as  service. 
None  of  it  is  expended  in  making  the  wheels  go 
idly  round;  it  moves  something,  it  accomplishes 
something,  it  produces  something.  Faraday  says 
that  there  is  electricity  enough  in  a  drop  of  dew 
to  rend  a  rock  in  pieces;  so  in  the  weakest  saint 
who  has  received  the  Spirit  there  slumbers  power 
sufficient  to  perform  works,  of  the  possibility  of 
which  he  nuiy  never  have  dreamed  ;  works  which 
cannot  be  explained  apart  from  the  divine  power 
working  through  him;  works  regi.vding  which 
an  onlooking  world  will  be  forced  to  say  :  "  These 
are  the  works  of  Christ !"  And  if  His  works  are 
multiplied  before  the  eyes  of  men,  how  can  they 
doubt  that  He  still  lives  in  the  world? 

The  works  which  are  the  characteristic  feature 
of  this  age;  the  works  which  are  in  a  peculiar 
and  sjjccial  sense  the  works  of  Christ;  the  works 
which  are  the  witness  of  the  Spirit's  presence, 
and  the  product  of  His  power,  arc  spiritual  works. 
"Greater  works  than  these  shall  ye  do,  because  I 
go  to  the  Father"  (John  xiv.  12),  said  Jesus  to 

235 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


His  disciples  as  they  wondered  at  the  miracles 
which  their  eyes  beheld.  It  is  not  meant  that 
they  were  to  do  mightier  works  of  physical  power 
than  hcalin<^the  sick  or  raisin<^  the  dead,  hut  that 
they  were  to  do  works  <^reater  in  kind.  They 
were  to  do  spiritual  works.  And  to  secure  for 
them  the  jjjreater  power  which  was  to  enable  them 
to  do  these  greater  works,  Jesus  went  to  the 
Father.  To  produce  spiritual  miracles  a  higher 
kind  of  power  is  demanded  than  to  produce  phys- 
ical miracles;  and  in  this  spiritual  age,  when 
everything  connected  with  religion  is  estimated 
according  to  its  spiritual  value,  spiritual  works 
form  the  only  evidence  that  will  be  received  by 
many  in  support  of  Christianity's  transcendent 
claims. 

In  every  age  there  are,  however,  those  who 
will  not  i)elieve  except  they  sec  signs  and  won- 
ders. For  the  main  evidence  of  Christ's  power 
they  turn  to  physical  works;  for  proof  of  His 
power  in  the  spiritual  realm  they  turn  to  II is 
power  in  the  physical  realm;  for  proof  that  He 
has  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sin,  they  tiiin  to 
His  power  to  s;  y  to  the  sick  of  the  palsy,  "  Arise, 
take  up  your  bed  and  walk."  They  forget  that 
the  ground  of  evidence  has  shifted;  and  that  now 
Christianity  rests  upon  a  spiritual  basis  and  not 
upon  external  proofs;  and  that  hence  the  evidence 

236 


The  Protlucliun  of  Spiritual  Works. 


of  Christ's  power  to  heal  disease  is  found  in  His 
power  to  save  from  sin.  And  surely  spiritual 
evidence — evidence  that  is  verified  in  conscious 
experience — is  more  satisfactory  than  any  dis- 
play of  miraculous  power. 

The  (juestion  as  to  whether  the  miraculovia 
pov.'er  possessed  hy  the  apostles  and  their  im- 
mediate successors  was  designed  to  be  a  gen- 
eral and  abiding  possession  of  the  people  of 
Christ,  is  one  of  the  burning  questions  of  the 
present  hour.  The  commission  originally  given 
to  the  apostles,  "  Heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the 
lepers,  raise  the  dead,  cast  out  demons"  (Mark 
X.  8),  was  afterwards  enlarged  in  its  scope  so  as 
to  include  ordinary  Christians.  "These  signs 
shall  follow  them  that  believe:  In  My  name  shall 
they  cast  out  demons;  they  shall  speak  with  new 
tongues;  they  shall  take  up  serpents;  and  if  they 
drink  any  deadly  thing  it  shall  not  hurt  them; 
they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall 
recover."  (Mark  xvi.  17,  i8. )  '  lut  there  is 
nothing  to  show  that  all  "these  signs"  followed 
any  one  among  those  who  believed,  or  that  some 
of  these  signs  followed  all  who  believed.  The 
gift  of  power  was  differentiated.  Miraculous 
power  was  not  given  to  all.  It  was  given  for 
official  service,  or  to  certify  that  its  possessor 
was    the    vehicle   of    a    supernatural    revelation. 

237 


After  rcntc'cost,  What? 


"  These  signs"  ccrtahily  do  not  follow  all  who 
believe  in  the  present  day.  Everything  goes  to 
show  that  they  ceased  about  the  time  of  the  clos- 
ing of  the  canon  of  Scripture.  The  afHrmation 
that  they  can  be  traced  down  the  Christian  age 
for  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  has  very  shadowy 
evidence  to  sustain  it.  Presumably  they  were 
continued  as  long  as  they  wor  ■  needed.  They 
were  not  suddenly  withdrawn  gradually  faded 

out  and  disappeared  as  the  re...  ^or  their  mani- 
festation passed  away.  That  they  have  been  a 
permanent  feature  of  the  age  of  the  Spirit  no  one 
will  assert;  the  most  that  is  claimed  is  that  they 
have  often  run  undcrgnnmd  for  a  time,  to  reap- 
pear in  unexpected  places ;  and  that  when  absent 
they  have  been  kept  in  al)eyance  from  lack  of 
faith.  The  only  form  of  miraculous  power  to 
which  any  serious  claim  has  been  made  in  the 
present  day  is  power  to  heal;  but  why  that  par- 
ticular form  of  powc*  shoidd  alone  be  restored  has 
never  been  satisfactorih  explained.  That  works 
of  healing  have  occasionally  taken  place  through- 
out the  Christian  centuries  admits  of  no  denial. 
That  in  the  present  dav  there  are  many  well  au- 
thenticated instances  of  instantaneous  and  com- 
plete deliverance  from  bodily  infirmity  is  also  be- 
yond dispute.  And  what  at  first  seems  to  com- 
plicate matters,  although  it  really  simplifies  them, 

238 


The  Production  of  Spiritual  Works. 

is  the  mulciiiahle  fact   that   similar   hcncficial  re- 
sults are  to  he  found  in  connection  with  very  dis- 
similar remedial  methods.     Divine  healing,  faith 
cure,    christian    science,    metaphysical    healing, 
hypnotism,    and    the   like,    have  suhstantially  the 
same  credentials  to  show.     They  can  point  to  the 
same  class  of  cases  in  evidence  of  their  power  to 
Ileal.      There  must,  therefore,  he   some   common 
law  underlying  them  all.     That  common  law  is 
uncpiestionahly   the   law  of  therapeutic    sugges- 
tion,* by  wiiich,  through   the   su])tlc  action  and 
interaction  of  mind  upon   mind,  one  person  can 
ronvey  to  another   health-giving  suggestion  and 
impulse.      Along  the  line  of   this   law  the   Holy 
S[)irit  is   continually  working  as  a  power   which 
makes  for  health.     He  is  the  primal  source  of  all 
therapeutic   power.      The  initial    therapeutic  im- 
pulse is  from  Him.     There  is  no  real  case  of  heal- 
ing of  which  He  is  not  the  author.     The  forces 
which  He  keeps  in  operation  for  the  renewing  of 
the  life  of  man  work  according  to  fixed  laws,  and 
those  who  co-operate  with  them  are  blessed,  while 
those  who  work  against  them  suffer  loss.      Laws 
arc  not,  however,  "hains  by  which  He  is  bound; 
they   are    merely    the    ascertained    limits    within 
which    He    works.      To   every   one  wh;)   brings 
hinisc|f    into  right  relation   to   His   laws,  He  in- 

•Sfean  excellent  discussion  o(  this   subject   in  "Psychic  Phenom- 
ena,"  by  Thomson  Jay  Hudson. 


After  Pentec^t,  What  ? 

stantly  responds,  even  altli()u<(h  there  may  be  the 
grossest  ignorance  of  the  \va\  in  which  His  laws 
operate.  Just  as  a  man  ulio  knows  nothing  and 
cares  nothing  about:  God,  if  he  does  a  righteous 
act,  is  blessed  in  his  deed;  so  a  man  who  is 
steeped  in  ignorance  and  superstition,  if  he  obeys 
therapeutic  law,receives  the  Spirit's  liealingtoucli. 
The  Spirit  of  heaUh  is  not  unwilling  to  work  be- 
cause He  's  not  understood  or  acknowledgeil.  lie 
responds  to  the  blinded  devotee  who  bows  before 
the  shrine  of  the  Virgin  Mary, or  before  the  shrine 
of  some  mediieval  saint  of  shady  reputation;  or 
the  modern  "faddist,"  who  puts  himself  with 
sublime  credulity  into  the  hands  of  some  self-ap- 
p(j;!ited  priestess  of  the  occult.  The  one  thing 
needful  to  secure  His  health-giving  power  is 
lovaltv  to  the  conditions  which  He  has  imposed. 
There  is,  however,  nothing  niagicil  or  miracu- 
lous '"1  ilie  way  in  which  the  result  is  reacheii. 
Divine  power  works  in  natural  ways  and  it  works 
for  the  good  of  all  alike.  To  every  mi'ii  the  door 
of  psychic  commimication  '^taads  open,  so  that 
he  can  go  for  himself  to  the  original  source  of 
life  and  power,  and  may  in  turn  become  the  me- 
dium of  the  Spi  it's  ministry  in  conveying  help- 
ing, healing  Influences  to  others. 

Miracles  of  healing    were    performed  bv  Jesus 
sparingly  and  always  for  spiritual  ends.      All  His 

240 


The  Production  of  Spiritual  Works. 

miracles  were  altruistir.     His  main  work  on  earth 
was  not  to  heal  men's  bodies,  hut  to  cure  that  in- 
ward malady  of    which  all  physical   maladies  are 
but  the  surface   syniptoms.      The  work  which  is 
far  excellence  \.\Mi   work  of   Christ;  the  work  to 
which  everything  else  was  made  subservient;  the 
work    which   the   Holy  Spirit  is  now  seeking  to 
have  done;  the  work  to  which  the  people  of  God 
are  specially  called,  and  for  which  they  are  espe- 
cially   (jualitied,  is    the    work  of   delivering    men 
from    ihe    dominion    of   sin.      Deliverance    from 
sickness  and   from  other   of  the  ills  of  life  often 
follows  as    a    result   from    that;  hut    not   always. 
The  physical  suffei  ings  under    which    we  groan 
may  have  some  spiritual  end  to  serve;  they  may 
be  the  divinely  administered  medicine  of  the  soul 
— in  which  case  they  are  not  removed  until  iheir 
work  is  done.    Paul  had  to  leave  Trophimus  sick 
at  Miletus   (2  Tim.  iv.  20),  not    because    he  had 
lost  the  power  to  heal,  but  because  the   Lord  saw 
that  it  was  best  fo'-  Trophimus  that  for  a  season 
he  should  be  shut  out  from  the  world,  and  shut 
in  willi  Himscir 

The  change  which  has  taken  place  in  the  nat- 
ural sphere  in  the  way  of  bringing  physical  forces 
under  the  control  of  natural  law,  is  analogous  to 
the  change  which  has  taken  place  in  the  spiritual 
sphere   in   the  way  of  bringing   spiritual   forces 

241 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


under  the  control  of  spiritual  law.  In  neither 
sphere  has  there  been  any  loss.  The  power 
that  ^avc  life  to  dead  bodies  and  to  dead 
souls  in  apostolic  times  is  workinj^  immediately 
In  the  world  to-day  ;  hut  it  is  workinj^  in  harmony 
with  orderly  laws.  There  occur  no  startlinj.^ 
eruptions  of  power,  awakenint^  sense-bound  souls 
from  their  leaden  dreams.  Medicjd  science,  by 
discoverinj^  natural  laws  and  co-operating  with 
them,  is  expellinj^  disease,  and  lenj^theninjr  the 
avera<j;e  of  human  life?;  and  Christian  science, 
truly  so  called^  bv  stud\  ini;  the  Spirit's  ways  and 
workinj^  in  harmony  witli  His  laws,  is  ti^radually 
conquerinj^  the  powers  of  evil,  and  transforming^ 
the  life  of  man.  Pentecostal  scenes,  when  thou- 
sands of  souls  are  born  anew  in  a  day,  may  not 
be  repeated,  but  there  is  a  f^radual  tjrowth  of  tlie 
kinj^doin  of  righteousness  throu<;^h  the  leavening- 
power  of  the  gospe!  of  Christ.  And  this  is  what 
we  ought  to  expect.  For  is  not  this  the  normal 
line  of  development?  Does  not  the  activity  which 
at  the  first  is  spasmodic  and  fitful,  become,  as  in- 
telligence and  power  increase, uniform  and  steady  ? 
Does  not  the  spectacular  display  of  the  miracu- 
lous naturally  pass  over  into  the  steady  flow  of 
the  supernatural?  And  is  not  all  Christian  work 
taken  at  once  out  of  the  region  of  the  special  and 
extrfiordinary  and  placed  where  it  ought  to  be,  in 

242 


The  Production  of  Spiritual  Works. 


the  region  of  the  supernatural  and  the  common, 
when  all  the  power  which  the  Spirit  ministers  is 
looked  upon  as  under  the  dominion  of  law? 

The  power  which  Christians  need,  to  enahle 
them  to  do  the  work  of  Christ,  is  given  to  them 
up  to  the  measure  of  individual  dependence. 
Those  who  keep  in  unbroken  communication 
with  the  Spirit  of  God  are  like  storage  batteries 
constantly  replenished  from  the  fountain  of  dy- 
namic energy,  and  are  "ready  unto  every  good 
work,"  Their  constantly  renewed  spiritual  life 
brings  forth  a  constant  crop  of  spiritual  works; 
their  living  faith,  which  the  Spirit  sustains,  is 
never  alone,  bul  has  a  constant  procession  of  good 
deeds  following  in  its  train.  But  let  their  attach- 
ment to  the  source  of  pow  cr  be  loosened,  let  their 
souls  become  the  cemeteries  <>i  a  dead  i  lith,  and 
good  works  cease.  When  Christians  decline  in 
spiritual  power,  no  matter  what  advancement 
they  may  make  in  other  directions,  the  spiritual 
fruitage  of  tiieir  lives  becomes  scanty  and  poor. 
And  when  the  clun-ch  declines  in  spiritual  power, 
no  matter  how  nuich  she  may  increase  in  wealth 
and  nund^ers,  she  ceases  to  be  a  l)kssing  to  the 
world.  Pope  Innocent  III.  pointed  Thomas  A(|ui- 
nas  to  the  wealth  and  magiuficence  of  the  Vati- 
can, remarking,  "The  time  is  gone  when  the 
church  has  to  say,  'Silver  and  gold  have  I  none.'  " 

243 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


"Yes,  your  holiness,"  he  answered,  "and  no 
more  can  she  say,  'Rise  up  and  walk.'  "  There  are 
better  things  than  silver  and  gold.  The  hest 
gifts  which  Christianity  has  to  bestow  are  spirit- 
ual. And  the  main  evidence  of  usefulness  in  the 
individual  Christian  or  in  the  church  collective 
is  the  possession  of  power  to  comfort  and  lielp 
the  physically  disabled,  and  to  make  the  spirit- 
ually lame  and  impotent  strong  to  walk  in  the 
way  of  righteousness. 

What  sublime  faith  in  the  Spirit's  power  Christ 
has  shown  in  entrusting  to  its  silent  working  the 
future  of  His  redemptive  work;  and  what  sub- 
lime faith  He  has  also  shown  in  the  auman  agency 
to  which  the  Spirit  has  entrusted  tlie  work  for 
the  fulfillment  of  which  He  l.as  become  responsi- 
ble!  Having  "offered  one  sacrifice  for  sins  for- 
ever," Christ  sat  down  on  the  right  luuid  of  God, 
"from  henceforth  expecting  till  His  enemies  be 
made  His  footstool."  (Heb.  x.  12,  13.)  Know- 
ing that  His  perfect  sacrifice,  which  docs  not  re- 
quire to  be  repeated,  has  in  it  the  posver  of  moral 
omnipf>tence.  He  sat  down  in  tr."  place  of  supreme 
majesty,  calmly  wailing  until  llie  powers  of  evil 
should  be  vanquished.  The  idtinuUe  triinnph  of 
His  cause  He  never  doubted,  Upon  what  did 
He  base  His  great  expectations?  Upon  the  fidel- 
ity  and   eJliciency   with  which   those   w!u)!n  the 

244 


The  Production  of  Spiritual  Works. 

Spirit  employs  as  His  subordinates  would  hold 
up  to  the  world  His  puissant  cross.  On  the 
Spirit's  part  there  is  no  possibility  of  failure. 
The  uncertain  factor  is  not  His  co-operation  with 
Christians,  but  their  co-operation  with  Him. 
The  only  thing  that  can  delay  the  realization  of 
Christ's  expectations  is  the  failure  of  those  upon 
whom  the  Spirit  depends.  The  Spirit  does  the 
best  that  He  can  with  the  weak  and  imperfect 
forces  at  His  command.  Sore  at  heart  He  must 
often  be  to  witness  the  dilatory  and  indifferent 
way  in  which  those  who  ought  to  be  the  right 
arm  of  His  strength,  do  their  part  of  the  work. 
We  speak  of  honoring  the  Holy  .Spirit  as  if  His 
honor  depended  upon  outward  recognition.  He 
is  honored  when  Christ  is  honored ;  and  Christ 
is  honored  when,  by  application  of  His  atoning 
work  to  the  hearts  of  men,  those  who  once  were 
foes  are  brought  in  submission  to  His  feet,  and 
are  bound  to  Him  forever  in  the  vassalage  of 
love.  When  that  result  is  gained  the  Holy  Spirit 
sees  of  the  travail  of  His  soul  and  is  satisfied. 


24s 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE  FORMATION  OF  A  SPIRITUAL  SOCIETY. 

"The  day  of  Pentecost  witnessed  a  kind  of  incarnation 
of  the  third  person  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  The  Holy  Spirit 
came  then  to  dwell  in  the  body  of  believers,  so  that  each 
Christian  is  now  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the 
whole  church  is  the  habitation  of  God  through  the  Spiiit." 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

The  most  tangible  result  of  the  outpouring  of 
the  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  the  forma- 
tion of  a  new  society.  That  new  society  is  the 
Christian  church.  Cardinal  Manning  occupies 
safe  ground  in  asserting  that  the  coming  of  the 
Spirit  was  "the  condition  of  the  creation,  quick- 
ening and  organization  of  the  church."*  As  an 
idea  and  an  ideal  the  church  existed  before;  then 
it  became  a  reality.  The  church— the  true,  living 
church  of  Christ— was  born  of  the  Spirit;  alas, 
what  a  very  different  parentage  many  so-called 
Cliristian  churches  would  have  to  acknowledge! 
What  has  kept  back  sir>gle  churches  from  adopt- 
ing the  name  "  Tlie  Church  of  the  Holy  Spirit," 
if  not  the  uncomfortable  consciousness  that  the 
name  would  be  incongruous  because  of  the  diffi- 
culty of  tracing  the  mother's  lineaments  in  her 
reputed  child?  "  The  Church  of  the  Holy    Spirit" 

■'"The  Temporal  Mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  p  40. 


The  Formation  of  a  Spiritual  Society, 


would  be  a  hard  name  to  live  up  to.  And  yet  is 
not  every  true  church  suggestive  of  that  name; 
for  is  it  not  the  creation  of  the  Spirit,  His  abid- 
ing home,  tile  organ  of  His  manifestation,  and 
the  agency  thro'igh  which  He  operates?  In  the 
most  ancient  of  Christian  creeds  the  two  confes- 
sions, "I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost;  the  holy 
Catholic  Church,"  have  been  wisely  united,  to 
emphasize  the  idea  that  tlie  Holy  Spirit  and  the 
holy  Catholic  Church  are  the  two  sides  of  one 
reality;  and  they  have  been  put  in  their  proper 
order,  inasmuch  as  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  source 
of  support  of  the  church's  life,  and  the  church 
the  witness  of  the  Spirit's  indwelling  presence. 
I.  The  Iloiy  Spirit  is  the  soul  of  the  church. 
He  is  the  breath  of  life  by  which  it  is  animated 
and  sustained.  As  the  soul  of  the  church  He  is 
the  structural  force  which  gives  to  its  doctrine, 
polity  and  institutional  life  outward  form,  as 
the  brain  gives  outward  form  to  the  skull. 
"The  Burial  Hill  Declaration"  is  unquestion- 
ably rigln  in  its  contention  that  "the  church 
is  not  a  cios- -ly  jointed,  ironclad  system;  but  a 
living  bo-'^  which  has  God's  indwelling  to  sh.ape 
it,  and  God's  inworking  to  control  it."  Men 
speak  oi"  organizing  churches;  living  churches 
arc  not  orgaiiized,  they  are  born.  Strictly  speak- 
ing, they  are  not  organizations  at  all,  but  living 

247 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


organisms  through  which  Hows  the  warm  hfe 
blood  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Organizations  may 
exist  without  life;  organisms  proceed  from  life; 
they  are  sustained  by  life;  they  grow  by  the  in- 
crease of  life.  A  church  that  is  not  indwelt  by 
the  Spirit  is  like  an  empty  shell  which  the  waves 
have  cast  upon  the  shore — the  memorial  of  de- 
parted life. 

The  question  of  greatest  moment  concerning 
any  church  is:  "Is  this  a  church  of  the  Spirit? 
Is  it  Spirit-born?  Is  it  a  Spirit-bearing  body?" 
How  foolish  it  is  for  any  church  to  make  the 
claim  of  being  t/ic  church  as  against  all  other 
churches  by  trying  to  trace  an  unbroken  succes- 
sion of  offices  and  ordinances  back  to  the  apostles! 
Such  a  church  has  become  entangled  in  "endless 
genealogies  which  engender  strife."  The  only 
thinsr  worthy  of  concern  is  whether  o:  not  a 
church  possesses  spiritual  identity.  Has  't  the 
apostolic  spirit?  Has  it  apostolic  zeal  and  holi- 
ness? Has  it  the  marks  of  the  original  Spirit- 
born  and  Spii it-bearing  church?  Is  it  bringing 
forth  the  same  kind  of  fruit?  A  church  of  the 
Spirit,  a  church  in  which  the  Spirit's  life  and 
love  and  power  are  embodied,  is  not  only  in  the 
line  of  apo?tolic  succession, but  has  the  same  direct, 
divine  origin  as  the  apostolic  church  itself. 

2.      The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Administrator  of 

248 


The  Formation  of  a  Spiritual  Society. 


the  church.  Into  His  hands  the  entire  fjovern- 
nient  of  the  church  has  heen  committed.  Through 
His  spiritual  rule,  which  marks  the  change  from 
a  visible  to  an  invisible  administration,  the  head- 
ship of  Christ  over  the  church  is  being  realized. 
lie  is  "the  vicar  of  Christ.''  But  think  of  a 
puny  mortal  arrogating  to  himself  that  title!  "A 
vicar  of  the  Holy  Sijirit"  would  be  an  admissi- 
ble title,  provided,  of  course,  the  one  assuming 
it  was  His  true  representative.  All  the  ollice- 
bearers  of  the  church  are  overseers  under  Him. 
Addressing  the  elders  of  Ephesus,  Paul  said: 
"  Take  heed  unto  yours'.'lves,  and  to  all  the  Hock 
over  the  which  the  Holy  Spirit  hath  made  you 
bishops,  to  feed  the  church  of  God."  (Acts  xx. 
2S.)  The  first  appointment  of  evangelists  is  thus 
recorded:  "The  Holy  Spiiit  said.  Separate  me 
Barnabas  and  Saul  to  the  work  whereunto  I  have 
called  them."  "So  they,  being  sent  forth  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  departed  unto  Seleucia."  (Acts  xiil. 
2-.|.)  When  delicate  questions  came  up  touching 
the  policy  to  be  pursued  in  missionary  work,  so 
certain  were  the  early  discip!<"5  that  they  were 
following  the  Spirit's  counsel  that  they  could  say, 
"It  seemed  good  to  the  Holy  Spirit  and  to  us"  to 
take  this  step.  They  did  not  lean  upon  their  own 
wisdom;  they  were  not  swayed  by  pvn.uential 
considerations,  but  having  prayed  as  well  as  de- 

2  19 


After  Pentecost,  VVhut? 


liberated,  they  came  to  know  the   Spirit's  niiiul, 
and  followed  it  without  m^s<;ivin^^ 

When  the  presidinjj  Spirit  is  distrusted  or  ij^- 
nored  the  church  is  forctil  to  lean  upon  an  arm 
of  flesh.  She  allies  herself  to  the  state;  or  she 
tries  to  become  a  kinj^dom  of  this  world  by  build- 
ing up  a  strong  ecclesiastical  system,  fashioned 
generally  after  some  political  model.  To  guanl 
herself  against  disorder  she  governs  herself  from 
without,  instead  of  allowing  herself  to  be  gov- 
erned from  within.  And  what  is  the  result?  In- 
stead of  being  the  living  organ  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
she  becomes  a  huge  ecclesiastical  machine,  con- 
trolled by  worldly  forces.  Any  immunity  from 
disorder  that  may  be  secured  is  purchased  at  the 
destruction  of  life.  To  gain  the  world  she  has 
lost  her  soul. 

The  spiritual  standing  of  a  church  is  deter- 
mined by  its  relation  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  Has  it 
an  immediate  sense  of  His  indwelling?  Docs  it 
listen  to  His  voice  as  He  has  spoken  in  the  Word 
and  is  now  speaking  within  the  soul?  Does 
it  look  upon  things  from  His  point  of  view? 
Does  it  recognize  His  authority  as  supreme? 
Is  it  under  His  control?  Is  it  ready  to  follow 
His  guidance  as  it  is  ready  formally  to  seek  it? 
Is  it  as  careful  to  recognize  the  rights  of  the  Head 
of  the  church  J  for  whom  He  acts,  as  it  is  to  assert 

250 


The  Formation  of  a  Spiritual  Society. 

its  own  flights?  Is  the  liberty  which  it  seeks  lib- 
erty to  do  what  lie  enjoins?  Is  it  in  all  thing's 
submissive  to  His  s()verei<^n  will?  A  churcli 
that  will  not  stand  this  test— a  church  that  is  self- 
governed,  and  not  Spirit-f^ovcrned— is  no  true 
church  of  Christ. 

3.  llic  Holy  Spirit  is  the  vital  bond  of  frater- 
nal fcllo'vship  wilJiin  the  church.  The  society 
which  He  creates  and  controls  is  not  a  hierarchy, 
but  a  brotherhood,  the  closest  and  most  compre- 
hensive of  any  on  earth.  Its  members  are  not 
held  toj,relher  in  an  artitlcial  way  by  oaths  and 
pled<;es,  but  by  a  common  relationship  of  life  and 
love.  Its  underlyin;^  motive  is  not  a  remunera- 
tive exchan<,^e  of  benetits,  but  an  unselfish  desire 
to  confer  benefits  ;  its  cementing  power  is  not  self- 
interest,  but  the  blood  of  sacrifice. 

Upon  the  two  poles  of  home  and  church  every 
rightly  adjusted  life  revolves.  In  the  home  man 
finds  the  sphere  of  that  unselfish  ministry  which 
he  recpiires  continually  to  exercise  to  sa\  e  him 
from  dying  of  the  dry-rot  of  selfishness;  and 
there  also  he  finds,  or  ought  to  find,  the  fellowship 
for  which,  as  a  social  being,  he  instinctively 
yearns;  in  the  church  he  finds  the  sphere  of  those 
higher  ministries  which  his  spiritual  nature  needs 
to  save  it  from  being  choked  by  the  debris  of 
worldliness;  and  there  also  he  finds,  or  ought  to 


After  reiitecost,  What? 


find,  the  fellowship  for  which, as  a  spiritual  beiii*^', 
he  instinctively  yearns.  There  is  ■  vmcthinj^ 
radically  wronj,'  when  ho  is  forced  to  go  outside 
of  the  home  for  social  sympathy,  or  outside  of 
the  church  for  spiritual  fellowship  and  help.  In 
these  two  homes — the  social  home,  and  the  spirit- 
ual home -he  ou<fht  to  llnd  somelhinj^  of  that  lov- 
inj;^  community  of  interest,  the  fullness  of  which 
is  heaven. 

Christianity  is  a  social  relij^ion.  Ine  s;  irit  of 
sociability  is  one  of  its  marked  characteristics. 
Hence  one  of  the  main  elements  of  power  in  a 
Christian  church  is  found  in  the  cultivation  of  its 
social  influence.  It  ou<,fht  to  aim  to  be  the  center 
of  the  social  life  of  the  community  in  which  it  is 
planted  Alive  to  the  importance  of  its  social 
mission,  the  modern  church  seeks  to  foster  the  so- 
cial spirit;  but  alas,  it  too  often  makes  the  pitiful 
mistake  of  attempting  to  create  social  life  l)y  that 
which  should  express  it.  It  builds  kitchens  and 
parlors  while  it  neglects  the  prayer  meeting.  It 
socializes  the  spiritual  when  it  ought  to  spiritual 
ize  the  social.  It  cultivates  the  social  spirit  on 
the  wrong  side,  ministering  to  the  physical  when 
it  ought  to  minister  to  the  spiritual.  The  social 
nature  of  man  can  be  most  deeply  moved  on  the 
spiritual  side.  The  true  way  to  socialize  the 
church  is  to  spiritualize  it.     Mrs.  Stowe,  in  her 

252 


The  Information  of  a  Spiritual  Society. 


"Old  Town  Folks,"  ohstTvcs  that  in  Nc-w  Eng- 
land a  {ifcMuiinc  revival  of  rcliitjion  always  awak- 
rns  a  social  spirit,  under  the  influence  of  which 
class  distinctions  melt  away,  estran^'cnients  are 
healed,  and  an  atmosphere  of  <^ood  will  pervades 
the  community.  Those  who  receive  the  Holy 
Spirit  have  one  heart.  His  love  hinds  them  to- 
gether in  spiritual  fellowship.  They  form  a 
hrotherhood  of  the  Sjnrit,  the  memhers  of  which 
are  dear  to  one  another  for  tiie  same  reason  that 
they  are  dear  to  Christ.  A  sinj^le  touch  of  the 
Jloly  Spirit  will  do  more  to  promote  true  socia- 
hility  than  all  the  social  attractions  the  church 
can  devise. 

.}.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  source  of  spiritual 
unity  in  the  church,  lie  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  spiritual  unification  -the  power  hy  which 
tliosc  who  differ  in  temperament,  tastes,  and  opin- 
ions are  welded  into  one.  The  triumphs  of  di- 
vine grace  are  never  more  clearly  manifested  than 
when  those  who  arc  naturally  repellant  to  one 
another  "arehuilded  together  into  a  hahitation  of 
God  in  the  Spirit." 

No  graver  mistake  could  he  made  than  that  of 
seeking  union  in  things  external.  The  external 
divides;  the  spiritual  alone  unites.  Christians 
are  not  held  together  by  the  iron  hoop  of  the  ex- 
ternal, but  by  the  power  of  a  common  indwelling 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


life;  they  separate  upon  creeds,  and  ceremonies, 
and  ecclesiastical  polity,  hut  unite  upon  what  is 
spiritual,  vital,  and  imperishahlc.  Vain  has  hecn 
every  effort  to  crystallize  the  life  of  th<"  church 
around  doctrinal,  ceremonial,  or  ecclesiastical 
centers.  The  very  thin<js  which  were  expected 
to  have  a  cementini^  power  have  split  the  solid 
rock  of  her  strenj^th  into  innumcrahle  fraf^mcnt.i. 
Even  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  which 
Was  meant  to  he  a  hond  of  universal  fellowship, 
has  been  converted  into  a  hadjj;e  of  sectarian  sep- 
aration. To  seek  union  in  things  external  is  to 
seek  the  living  among  the  dead.  To  gain  exter- 
nal union  when  "the  imity  of  the  Spirit"  is  ab- 
sent is  to  gain  the  shadow  and  lose  the  sub- 
stance. True  union  is  a  thing  of  the  spirit.  A 
church  is  united  when  its  members  are  spiritually 
one.  "  By  one  Spirit  are  all  baptized  into  one 
body";  by  one  diffusive  and  pervasive  life  are  all 
the  children  of  the  Spirit  made  organically  one. 
Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  union; 
but  when  the  Spirit  is  absen*^  there  is  disintegra- 
tion an(*  decay  ;  the  dead  members  fall  apart,  and 
the  body  of  Christ  stands  before  the  world  maimed 
and  impotent.  Before  His  departure  Jesus  prayed 
that  His  people  might  be  one  as  He  and  the  Father 
are  one,  that  the  world  might  believe  in  Him  as 
the  Sent  of  God;  and  it  is  to  be  noted   that  His 


The  Formation  of  a  Spiritual  Society. 

prayer  followed  immediately  after  the  promise  of 
the  coming  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  if  to  suggest 
that  only  hy  Ilis  indwelling  could  this  spiritual 
oneness  for  which  lie  prayed  he  realized. 

The  careless  printer  who  made  ihe  types  read, 
"The  Untied  Presbyterian   Church,"  when  they 
ought  to  have  read,  "The   United    Presbyterian 
Church,"  iniwittingly   gave  expression  to  what 
is  too  often  true  of  churches  L..    -nging  to  the  same 
denomination.      They  are   uicticd;  or    perchance 
they  are  tied   together  after  the   manner  of  that 
monstrosity    in    natu.e    known   as   the    king- rat, 
which   is   composed   of   several    rats   whose  tails 
have  grown  together,  so  that  while  united  at  the 
extremities  they  are  not  unfrequently  found  look- 
ing and  pulling  in  opposite  directions.      Denomi- 
national fellowship  is  real  only  when  it  is  spirit- 
ual.     Brethren  dwell  together  in  unity  only  when 
they   dwell    together    in    the    communion   of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

Very  slow  has  the  church  been  in  learning  the 
lesson  of  Pentecost,  hut  she  is  learning  it,  and 
that  is  something.  Comparing  one  generation 
with  anothe*-,  we  see  that  there  has  been  marked 
progress  towards  essential  unity.  We  look  back 
with  wonder  upon  the  time— not  far  remote — 
when  Christians  cut  off  each  other's  heads,  or 
burned  each  other  at   the  stake  because  they  dif- 


After  Pentecost,  What? 

feied  from  each  other  in   opinion   regarding  cer- 
tain questions  of  doctrine.      Wc  have  got  heyond 
that;  but  will  not  coming  generations  look  upon 
the  present  day   with  as   great  wonder,  because 
Christians  separate   themselves   from  each  other 
on   account  of  difference  of  opinion?   There  is  no 
surer  sign  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  gaining  the  day 
than  that   inter-denominational   comity  is  on   the 
increase.      Schism   is   felt   to  be  odious;  and   in- 
stead  of   being   gloried    in,  it   is   ai)ol(jgi/.ed   for. 
Christians  are  coming  to  dwell  more  upon  points 
of  agreement  than  upon  points  of  difference;  the 
conviction  is  growing  that  the  essentials  of  Chris- 
tianity are  the  oidy  things  worth  contending  for. 
Old  party    var-cries   that  once  divided   the  hosts 
into  hostile  camps  fail  to  stir  a  single  pulse-beat 
of  enthusiasm.      Sectarian  rancor  is  dying.     John 
Bunyan  says  that  in  his   time   there   lived  an  un- 
lovely old  gentleman  named  Mr.  Bigotry.      One 
day  he  fell  and  broke  his  leg,  and  there  were  peo- 
ple who   wished    that   he   had  broken  his   neck. 
The  old   gentleman  still   lives,  but   he  is  not  as 
robust  as  he  once  was,  and  there   are  those  who 
prophesy  that  his  days  are  numbered.     When  he 
dies  there  will  be  none  to  mourn  his  going. 

Incorporation  may  still  be  a  long  way  off,  but 
co-operation  along  practical  lines  has  already,  to 
some  extent,  come  into  sight.     At  the  very  time 

256 


The  Formation  of  a  Spiritual  Society. 

when   political   economy   is  grappling  with   the 
problem  of  co-operation    in    the   production   and 
distribution    of    material    things,    the    church  is 
grappling    with    the   problem  of  co-operation    in 
Christian  work.      It  is  felt  that  the  wicked  waste 
of  power  which  has  resulted  from  sectarian  rivalry 
must  come  to  a  speedy  end.    Many  of  the  divisions 
in  the  church  were  doul)tIess  j^rovidential,  and  by 
emphasizing  some  neglected  aspect  of  truth   they 
served  temporary  ends  ;  but  their  testimonv  beino- 
given,  the  reason  for  their  separate  existence  has 
ceased.      One  thing  is  sure,  progress  in  the  future 
will  not  be  made  by  division,  but   by  union;  and 
those  who  do  anything  to  retard   the   tendencv  to 
union  among  Christians  stand  in   the  way  of  the 
Holy  Spirit;  for    this    movement   of   the   a^rc  to- 
wards  the  federation  of  Christian  forces  is  man-- 
festly  from  I  Tim. 

The  outward  union  of  all  the  churches  into  a 
colossal  organization,  by  which  individuality  and 
freedom  would  inevitably  be  crushed  out,  is  no 
part  of  the  Spirit's  purpose.  The  spiritual  unity 
wiiich  He  is  working  to  produce  is  cousonant  with 
the  greatest  p^)ssible  diversity.  It  is  not  a  weary 
monotone,  but  the  harmonious  blcndiuj^r  of  all  the 
varying  notes  of  a  perfect  symphony.  Thank 
God,  a  touch  of  spiritual  life  makes  dull  imiform- 
ity  a  glorious  impossibility,  and  unity  in  diversity 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


a  glorious  actuality.     The  forms  of  life  arc  differ- 
ent, but  the  life  itself  is  one ;  the  waves  are  differ- 
ent, but  the  ocean  is  one;  the  branches  arr  differ- 
ent, but  the  tree  is  one;  the  stars  are  different,  Init 
the  planetary  system  is  one;  Christians  are  differ- 
ent, but  their  faith  and  love  arc  one;  churches  are 
different,  but   their    purpose   of    service    is    one. 
Christ  lias  one  body  throujj;h   which   he  is  strut;- 
gling  to  manifest  Himself  to  the  world;  and  that 
body  becomes  an  eflicient  medium  of  expression 
just  in  so  far  as  its  widely  separated  members  are 
animated  by  the  same  spirit,  and  work   together 
for  the  accomplishment  of  the  same  design.     The 
perfection  of  the  church  as  the  body  of  Christ  is 
not  attained  in  the  perfection  of  each  part  individ- 
ually and  separately,  but  in  the  perfection  of   the 
whole.      All    parts  grow   together,  act  together. 
When    one  member  responds    to   the   will  of  th<; 
Head,  all    the    members   are   to   respond  with  it; 
when  one  member  performs   its  special  function, 
all  the  member  are  to  sustain  it.      In  the  unity  of 
the  parts  is  the  unity  of  the  whole;  and  the   unity 
of  the  whole  is  in  the  unifying  power  of  the  Holy 

Spirit. 

5.  The  Holy  Spirit  inspires  the  church  ivith 
spiritual  aims  and  activities.  He  tills  her  heart 
with  Christ's  pity  for  lost  souls,  with  His  con- 
suming zeal  for  the  things  of  the  Father's  house, 

^5^ 


T^8 


The  Formation  of  a  Spiritual  Society. 


and  with  I  lis  aching  desire  to  see  the  Father's 
will  done  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven.  By 
kindling  the  noblest  hopes  and  awakening  the 
holiest  ambitions  He  seeks  to  overcome  the  spirit- 
ual inertia  which  is  apt  to  creep  over  souls  encased 
in  Hcsh.  Disdaining  to  play  upon  surface  mo- 
tives, He  goes  to  the  center  of  being,  touching 
the  deepest  springs  of  action,  and  bringing  into 
active  operation  the  mightiest  power  in  the  uni- 
verse by  which  souls  can  be  moved— the  constrain- 
ing love  of  Christ. 

The  ulterior  end  which  the  Spirit  has  in  view 
in  making  the  love  of  Christ  the  all-controlling 
jiower  in  Christian  hearts  is  to  bring  the  aims  and 
activities  of  the  church  into  oneness  with  those  of 
tile  Master.  Tiie  church  exists  for  Christ.  The 
l)ody  in  which  He  al)i(les,  it  is  also  the  organ 
through  which  He  works.  By  it  His  mission 
and  ministry  are  executed.  When  in  any  meas- 
ure fulfilling  its  divine  ideal  it  is  a  home  of  spirit- 
ual fellowship ;  a  hospital  where  sick  and  wounded 
souls  are  nurseil  back  to  health;  a  school  where 
those  who  have  enrollt  1  themselves  as  the  disci- 
ples of  Christ  are  instructed  in  doctrine  and 
trained  in  righteousness;  a  temple  of  worship 
where  the  incense  of  praise  and  prayer  ascend 
continually  to  heaven  ;  but  more  than  all  else,  it  is 
a  radiating  center  of   holy  inHuences,  a  perennial 

■^59 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


fountain  of  beneficent,  saving  power,  a  veritable 
spiritual  Nile  overflowing  its  banks  and  enrich- 
ine:  the  moral  life  of  the  world.  One  of  its  most 
sucftrestive  emblems  is  that  of  "the  tree  of  life, 
which  bears  twelve  manner  of  fruits,  and  yields 
her  fruit  every  month,  and  the  leaves  of  the  tree 
are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations."  By  "  the  na- 
tions" are  meant  those  beyond  Iier  pale.  The 
church  does  something  more  than  provide  supplies 
for  the  delectation  of  the  saints;  she  ministers  to 
those  who  are  without,  she  makes  her  life  tell 
upon  the  world's  woes  and  wrongs,  she  heals  up 
social  sores  by  applying  to  them  the  medicinal 
leaves  with  which  her  branches  are  covered,  she 
renovates  and  uplifts  not  single  souls  only,  but 
the  whole  social  mass,  at  the  heart  of  which  she 
has  been  placed. 

The  hurch  of  to  day  is  doing  her  best  to  wipe 
out  the  reproach  of  being  unpractical.  To  secure 
the  ends  for  which  she  exists,  she  is  trying  to  find 
new  working-points.  She  is  fertile  in  resources, 
inventive  in  methods.  One  of  her  latest  develop- 
ments is  the  Institutional  Church,  with  its  multi- 
farious agencies  for  helping  those  who  have  fallen 
by  the  wayside.  Pervaded  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
the  Institutional  Church  is  a  new  form  of  the 
Pentecostal  church;  her  temporal  ministries  flow 
from  spiritual  motives ;  and  all  her  varied  activi- 

260 


The  Formation  of  a  Spiritual  Society. 


tics  lead  up  to  spiritual  ends.  But  is  it  not  possi- 
ble for  the  church  to  become  too  utilitarian?  Is 
it  not  possible  for  her  to  expend  her  fund  of  en- 
ergy in  material  ministries  and  have  none  left  for 
the  performance  of  her  spiritual  functions.''  Is 
there  not  danger  that  the  worship  of  God  be  ne- 
glected for  the  service  of  man;  that  the  ministry 
of  the  Word  be  left  in  order  that  tables  may  be 
served ;  that  a  gospel  of  material  comfort  be  sub- 
stituted for  a  gospel  of  righteousness;  that  the 
effort  to  save  the  whole  man  end  in  saving  his 
body  and  forgetting  to  save  his  soul.''  It  is  true 
that  the  work  of  the  church  ought  to  be  as  wide 
as  the  work  of  Christ ;  but  there  are  many  things 
which  the  church  can  do  more  successfully 
through  the  ordinary  channels  of  the  community 
life,  than  by  herself.  No  church  can  compass  all 
the  needs  of  humanity,  and  the  first  questions  to 
be  considered  are:  At  what  point  is  the  main 
pressure  to  be  put,  and  to  what  ends  is  the  main 
stream  of  activity  to  be  directed? 

Before  the  world  the  church  stands  as  the  ex- 
pression of  a  spiritual  idea,  the  embodiment  of  a 
spiritual  force.  The  degree  of  her  usefulness  is 
measured  by  her  power  to  spiritualize  mankind. 
"  The  weapons  of  her  warfare  arc  not  carnal,  but 
spiritual,  and  they  are  mighty  tbrough  God  to 
the    pulling  down  of  strongholds."     The  more 

261 


Arter  Pentecost,  What  ? 

unworldly  she  is  in  her  spirit  and  purposes,  the 
greater  is  her  influence  over  the  world.  She 
gains  nothing  hy  coming  down  to  the  world's 
level,  presenting  outward  attractions,  sugar-coat- 
ing unpalatahle  truth,  coaxing  when  she  ought  to 
command,  and  offering  a  crown  of  flowers  when 
she  ought  to  offer  a  crown  of  thorns.  When  she 
seeks  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteous- 
ness, other  things  are  added  unto  her.  When  all 
her  aims  and  activities,  inspired  and  directed  hy 
the  Spirit,  are  steadily  set  to  spiritual  ends,  she 
achieves  her  greatest  triumphs  on  behalf  of  the 
cause  of  Christ,  and  docs  most  to  hasten  on  the 
day  when  her  crucified  Lord  shall  see  of  the  trav- 
ail of  His  soul  and  be  satisfied.  The  spiritual- 
ization  of  the  church  is  an  indispensable  condition 
to  the  evangelization  of  the  world. 


262 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  INAUGURATION  OF  SPIRITUAL  MOVEMENTS. 

"The  Lord  of  the  times  is  God,  the  turning  point  of 
the  times  is  Christ;  the  true  spirit  of  the  times  is  the  Holy 
Spirit."  F.  R.  Hasse. 

The  ethnic  religions  are  stagnant  and  station- 
ary. Tliey  suffer  from  arrested  development. 
Their  golden  age  of  purity  and  power  lies  in 
the  past.  Any  activity  which  they  manifest  is 
like  that  of  a  boy's  rocking  horse — motion  with- 
t)ut  advancement.  As  distinguislied  from  these 
immobile  religions,  Christianity  is  a  religion  of 
movement.  It  alone  continues  to  make  progress. 
Like  the  tides  of  the  ocean  it  ebbs  antl  flows,  but 
every  refluent  wave  gathers  volume  and  energy, 
and  when  it  turns,  it  comes  sweeping  in,  covering 
former  landmarks.  Sometimes  Christianity  ad- 
vances by  revolution,  but  its  usual  method  is  by 
evolution.  Its  appropriate  figure  is  not  the  fall- 
ing avalanche,  but  the  steady,  slow-moving  gla- 
cier, which  plows  a  path  through  every  obstacle, 
and  gathers  momentum  as  it  advances.  What 
Dante  says  of  the  movement  of  the  human  will 
can  be  said  of  the  movement  of  Christianity. 

"It  rolls  onward  like  a  wheel, 
In  even  motion,  by  the  Love  impelled 
That  moves  the  sun  in  heaven  and  all  the  stars."* 

I'Paradise.    Canto  xxiii.,  liuu  133. 

263 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


In  the  poetic  representation  of  the  movements 
of  God  in  history  given  in  Ezckiel's  vision  of 
the  wheels,  the  idea  set  forth  is  that  of  never- 
resting  motion  directed  by  divine  intelligence  to 
a  beneficent  e\u\.  "The  Spirit  of  the  Living 
One"  was  in  the  wheels,  propelling  and  guiding 
them.  The  rims  of  the  wheels  were  "high  and 
dreadful;"  their  diameter  could  not  be  measured  ; 
and  "they  were  full  of  eyes  roundabout."  They 
moved  "  straight  forward"  with  mighty  sweep, 
crushing  down  everything  that  opposed  them. 
Sometimes  their  speed  slackened  and  they  seemed 
about  to  stop,  and  anon  they  moved  with  acceler- 
ated action;  but  never  did  they  deviate  from  their 
appointed  course,  or  fail  to  reach  their  appointed 
end,  for  "  whither  the  Spirit  was  to  go  they  went ; 
they  turned  not  when  they  went." 

Here  we  are  furnished  with  a  striking  picture 
of  the  progress  of  Christianity.  All  its  move- 
ments have  been  under  the  direction  of  infinite 
wisdom  ;  "  the  Spirit  of  the  Living  One"  has  been 
within  the  wheels;  and  while  its  progress  has 
been  by  no  means  uniform,  its  course  has  not  been 
described  by  a  circle,  but  by  a  straight  line.  And 
yet,  in  spite  of  the  lessons  of  the  past,  as  we  study 
the  great  age-movements  in  which  we  are  caught, 
we  tremblingly  ask,  "  Whither  are  they  tending?" 
A  half-witted  woman,  sitting  at  her  window  over- 

264 


The  Inauguration  (     Spiritual  Movements. 


looking  a  busy  town,  was  wont  to  repeat  the  dole- 
ful cry,  "Everything  is  moving,  moving;  and 
there's  nobody  to  manage  the  machine."  Is  this 
the  condition  of  things?  All  things  are  indeed 
moving;  they  are  going  somewhere;  and  the 
question  of  their  direction  will  be  determined  by 
the  power  that  controls  them.  If  the  age-move- 
ments that  now  confront  us  are  under  the  direction 
of  omniscient  love,  if  "the  Spirit  of  the  Living 
One"  is  still  within  the  wheels,  then  all  things 
are  moving  on  to  their  predestined  goal. 

As  the  great  World-Mover  the  II  !y  Spirit  is 
over  at  work.  At  creation's  birth  "  He  moved 
upon  the  face  of  the  waters,''  bringing  cosmos 
out  of  chaos;  now  He  is  moving  upon  the  troubled 
waters  of  human  life,  that  out  of  their  weltering 
depths  there  may  rise  "a  new  earth  wherein 
dwelleth  righteousness."  The  upward  move- 
ments of  this  Christian  age  must  not,  in  the 
tlioughts  of  men,  be  separated  from  Him.  There 
is  a  stcatly  movement  toward  an  ideal  righteous- 
ness which  cannot  be  satisfactorily  explained 
apart  from  His  direct  agency.  He  is  to 
be  acknowledged  and  honored  as  the  Unseen 
Power  who  is  pushing  the  world  along  the  up- 
ward path — as  the  originating  and  propelling 
power  at  the  heart  of  every  forward  movement. 
The  movements  of  reform  born  within  the  bosom 

265 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


of  the  church,  aiul  those  for  which  she  has  been 
forced  to  seek  a  freer  field  outside  her  horders  — 
sucli,  for  instance,  as  the  temperance  movement, 
and  the  anti-slavery  movement — are  to  be  traced 
to  His  iuNsorking.  They  are  parts  of  the  great 
spiritual  movement  which  He  inauj^urated  at 
Pentecost.  Reform  movements  have  assumed 
various  forms,  but  generally  they  have  followed 
three  distinct  yet  closely  related  lines.  They  have 
been  pliilanthropic,  social,  and  missionary. 

I.  Philanthropic  Movcwcnts.  Within  the 
heart  of  the  church  the  Holy  Spirit  has  awakened 
a  spirit  of  philanthropy  which  Hows  out  at  the 
call  of  human  need.  This  spirit  of  philanthropy 
has  created  as  many  ameliorating  agencies  as 
there  are  fields  for  their  exercise.  There  is  not  a 
single  human  want  that  has  not  hcen  searched 
out;  there  is  not  a  single  human  woe  for  which 
some  remedy,  more  or  less  ellicacious,  has  not 
been  proviiled;  there  is  not  a  single  human 
wrong  for  which  redress  has  not  been  eagerly 
sought. 

A  thoi'ough-going  evolutionist  like  Professor 
Fiskc,  looking  across  the  Christian  centuries,  sees 
that  the  social  drift  has  been  "towards  the  weak- 
ening of  the  power  of  selfishness, and  the  strength- 
ening of  the  power  of  sympathy";  but  he  is  not 
careful  to  point  out  the  evolutionary  power  which 

266 


The  Inauguration  of  Spiritual  Movements, 


lies  behind  this  evohitionary  process.  With  clearer 
vision  C.  Lorin}^  Brace  traces  the  growth  of  the 
spirit  of  humanity  to  "a  Jiew  moral  force"  in  hu- 
man life  which  appeared  "at  a  certain  era  of  the 
world's  history,  not  remote  as  compared  with  the 
duration  of  the  race."*  It  is  not  denied  that  be- 
fore this  time  there  were  sjjoradic  si<,'ns  of  the 
brooding  of  the  Spirit  of  goodness;  but  until 
then  benevolence  did  not  become  an  abiding  prin- 
cipleof  social  activity.  In  his  suggestive  volume 
on  "The  Divine  Origin  of  Christianity,"  Dr. 
R.  S.  Storrs  has  shown  that  Christianity  intro- 
duced a  new  conception  of  man,  out  of  which  has 
grown  a  new  conception  of  duty.  Man  is  looked 
upon  as  intrinsically  precious,  he  is  loved  for  his 
inherent  value,  and  his  good  is  sought  because  he 
is  worth  helping  and  saving.  The  love  of  the 
divine  in  man  has  shown  itself  in  greater  tender- 
ness towards  the  weak  and  ilefenseless ;  greater 
solicitude  for  the  betterment  of  the  disinherited; 
greater  care  for  the  poor  and  distressed;  greater 
sympathy  for  sufferers  from  misfortune;  greater 
interest  in  the  defective  classes,  such  as  the  deaf, 
the  dumb,  the  blind,  anil  the  insane;  greater  op- 
position to  slavery  and  war,  and  to  every  form  of 
cruelty  and  oppression.  Religious  effort  has  come 
to   concern    itself    with   making   the  life  of    man 

•"Gesta  Christi,  or  a  History  o(  Humane  Progress,"  p.  i. 


20 


After  Pentecost.  What? 


upon  this  earth  hri<]^ht<^r  for  to-day,  and  fuller  of 
hope  for  to-morrow.  Religion  has  become  per- 
ipatetic, it  ffocs  about ;  it  has  become  practical, 
it  goes  about  doitig  good;  it  h.as  become  constant 
in  its  beneficent  activity,  it  goes  aiiout  coiiiin- 
Kally  doing  good.  By  tlie  propulsive  power  of  a 
new  affection  it  leads  men  to  put  tluir  lives  at  the 
service  of  others.  It  always  stands  ready  to  co- 
operate with  all  the  multiplied  and  ever  multiply- 
ing :'gencies  for  good  which  mark  our  times, and 
which  are  manifestly  inspired  and  directed  by  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

A  new  significance  is  discovertvl  in  the  con- 
stantly enlarging  sphere  of  humanitarian  work 
when  it  is  seen  to  mirror  forth  the  growing  in- 
tensity wiih  which  the  outleading  and  oiileading 
Spirit  is  endeavoring  toViring  thechurcb  to  fulfill 
her  mission  of  brotherly  ministry  to  a  sin-stricken 
world.  No  complaint  is  more  common  in  the 
modern  church  than  this :  "We  are  kept  under 
continual  stress  and  strain;  there  is  no  end  to  the 
tlem;uuls  made  upon  us;  one  agonizing  appeal  for 
help  follows  another;  when  one  lienevolent  serv- 
ice is  performed  another  awaits  us."  The  church 
t;f  today  is  being  pressed  as  never  before — of  that 
there  is  no  tlenial ;  but  tiv  whom?  By  the  Holy 
.Sjiirit.  The  voice  of  tliis  living  age  is  His.  In 
every  newly  opened  dxir    lie    pnsents  a  new  in- 

268 


The  Inauguration  oi  Spiritual  Movements. 


vitatior.  \n  every  forward  movement  a  new  in- 
centive t.)  renewetl  toil  and  sacriiice.  The  de- 
mands of  the  hour  arc  demands  whith  lie  is  mak- 
inj^.  When  they  are  not  met  Ilis  heart  is  crushed 
with  disappointment. 

2.  Sociii/  .]/ovciiiri/ts.  The  movements  of 
social  reform  which  characterize  our  times  are 
not  horn  altojrether  of  social  discontent.  They 
have  a  decj^er  orii^in.  They  are  at  hottom  spirit- 
ual movements,  sprint^in'j;'  from  a  desire  for  liet- 
ter  thinjrs  he^otten  in  the  heart  of  the  race  hy  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Wlien  tliin^^s  havc^^one  wrong  and 
need  reformin^^,  no  one  can  let  them  alone  unless 
he  first  (/f  all  slnUs  liis  heart  to  tlie  Spirit's  in- 
fluence, livery  true  Cin-istian  is  an  ordained  re- 
former, workini,'  in  the  power  of  the  Spi>'it  for 
the  regeneration  of  society.  In  whatever  con- 
cerns the  welfare  of  men  he  is  concerned.  Every 
new  social  coniiition  presents  to  him  a  fresh  proh- 
lem  which  he  feels  hound  to  understand  and 
solve.  He  welconu's  tin-  widening  of  the  sphere 
of  social  activitv  lu'cause  it  affords  greater  scope 
for  the  exercise  of  his  most  resourceful  energies, 
and  o]K'ns  up  new  worlds  for  him  to  conquer. 
He  rejoices  in  everv  sign  of  the  weakening  cf 
the  power  of  selfishness— the  Loril  of  Misrule, 
and  in  the  strengthening  of  the  power  of  the 
Lord  of   Love,  who   through    tlie   agency  of   the 

269 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


Spirit  is  brinj^ing  in  the  reign  of  social  righteous- 
ness and  peace. 

In  the  present  clay  the  movement  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  is  seen  in  a  sociological  revival.  A  new 
interest  in  social  (juestions  has  sprung  up.  The 
diseases  that  afllict  society  are  studied  as  never 
before.  There  is  a  determination  to  know  the 
worst.  And,  if  a  revelation  of  !;u  actual  con- 
dition of  society  sometimes  engencuis  a  spirit  of 
pessimism,  it  is  a  pessimism  that  cjuickens  and 
not  a  pessimism  that  paralyzes;  and  that  is  better 
than  an  optimism  that  dozes  and  dreams.  The 
prevailing  feeling  is  one  of  hopefulness;  and  the 
most  hopeful  are  those  who  have  the  most  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  dilliculties  of  the  situa- 
tion. With  the  present  social  order  no  one  is 
satisfied.  Social  perfection  is  slill  a  long  way  off. 
The  presvnt  industrial  system  is  esjiecially  felt  to 
])c  unsatisfactory;  although  with  all  its  faults  it 
is  better  than  any  that  has  gone  before.  To  vast 
multitudes  it  is  a  form  of  slavery  slightly  more 
refined  than  feudalism.  The  introduction  of  ma- 
chinery has  brought  about  new  conditions  to 
which  we  have  not  yet  become  adjusted  ;  labor- 
saving  inventions  have  reduced  the  workman  to  a 
mere  "  hand"  ;  llie  concentration  of  cajMtal  in  syn- 
dicates and  trusts  has  destroyed  the  sense  of  per- 
s<jnal    responsibility,  and  has   amassed   enormous 

.171) 


Tlie  Inauguration  oi  Spiritual  Movements. 


wealth  by  crushing  liouest  competition  into  the 
{(round.  In  tlie  hearts  of  the  (Hsitiherited  there 
is  growinj^  bitterness.  The  times  are  full  of  un- 
rest. The  air  is  electrical.  Only  in  one  way  can 
revolution  be  averted,  and  that  is  by  wise  and 
timely  reform.  Hut,  wliether  by  evolution  or  by 
revolution,  tlie  better  day  \vhei\  there  shall  be  a 
more  equitable  distribution  of  the  products  of 
labor,  will  surely  come.  What  the  new  order 
will  be  it  is  dilhcult  to  forecast;  but  "in  all  prob- 
al)ility  some  form  (  '  co-operation  will  be  the  final 
and  Christian  form  in  which  production  and  dis- 
tribution will  develop  themselves  when  the  inter- 
ests of  consumer  ai.d  dealer,  of  manufacturer  and 
workman,  of  capitalist  and  laborer  are  correlative, 
and  Christian  and  just  principles  govern  all."* 

The  social  movement  of  to-day  is  at  heart  altru- 
istic. It  is  easy  to  show  tliat  selfishness  aboun  is, 
tiiat  business  is  largely  fratricidal,  that  politics 
are  corrupt,  that  patriotism  is  openly  sold  for  pelf 
and  power ;  but  it  is  just  as  easy  to  show  that 
alongside  the  disintegrating  power  of  selfishness 
there  is  a  power  in  the  world  working  for  social 
ri'demi)ti<ii!.  Altruism  is  as  real  a  force  in  the 
world's  life  as  egoism.  The  struggle  for  the 
lives  of  otliers  is  just  as  persistent  as  the  struggle 
for  self-existence.      From   the    fountain   of  eter- 


•Gesta  Christi,  by  C.  Lorin«  Brace,  p.  414. 

271 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


nal  love  ihi'  altruistic  spirit  comes.  Mothers  are 
kind  hecausc  God  is.  Was  this  altruistic  spirit 
put  into  human  nature  at  the  hegiuning,  or  is  it 
an  "  ultra  rational"  something  which  came  into 
the  world  with  historical  Christianity.''  Pro- 
fessor Drummond  takes  the  former  view ;  Ben- 
jamin Kidd,  the  latter.  There  is  truth  in  hoth 
views.  The  altruistic  spirit  which  shows  itself 
in  the  love  of  the  animal  for  its  offspring  was 
sown  in  nature  at  the  first,  hut  not  until  its  mani- 
festation in  Bethlehem's  manger  and  on  Calvary's 
cross  did  it  come  to  full  fruitage  in  human  na- 
ture. From  ihc  manifested  love  of  Christ  the  altru- 
istic movement  iniuiguraicd  at  Pentecost  derives 
its  power.  It  is  not,  however,  something  excep- 
tional, hut  is  in  harmony  with  previous  modes  of 
divine  activitv.  It  is  the  fuliillment  of  a  time- 
long  process  of  development.  In  Ilchrcw  history 
we  find  an  altruistic  force  at  work  moulding  the 
nation's  institutions  and  laws  and  creating  a  holy 
society;  and  in  the  .Spirit's  coming  at  Pentecost 
we  see  the  same  force  hrcaking  forth  in  the  full- 
ness of  its  strength  from  the  glorified  Christ,  that 
it  might  complete  the  work  of  suhduing  all  things 
to  tlu'  will  of  (iod,  and  huilding  up  a  divine  soci- 
etv  on  th.'  I'artli.  Christ  descended  to  earth  that 
He  might  fill  some  things  ;  lie  ascended  to  heaven 
that    He    might    fill   a//    tilings.     Through   the 

272 


The  Inauguration  of  Spiritual  Movements. 


Spirit  He  is  now  at  work  seeking  to  fill  the  world 
with  His  thonj^hts,  with  His  ideals,  and  with 
His  saving  power;  and  in  so  far  as  He  succeeds 
will  society  he  reformed.  In  itself  siociety  has 
no  recuperative  power.  The  power  that  makes 
for  social  health  is  from  Clirist,  the  world's  great 
healer.  The  saving  grace  of  society  is  His  love. 
When  His  love  is  enthroned  in  the  heart,  men  are 
led  to  sacrifice  for  the  welfare  of  others  as  for 
their  own,  instead  of  sacrificing  the  welfare  of 
others  for  their  own;  when  His  love  is  allowed 
to  operate  in  society,  Itridges  of  communication 
are  built  across  the  gulf  that  separates  the  classes  ; 
when  His  love  clarifies  the  vision  of  those  who 
are  locked  in  deadlv  strife,  they  each  discern  a 
brother  in  a  foe,  and  strike  hands  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  a  communitv  of  interests;  when  His 
love  bears  its  legitimate  fruit,  the  rights  of  a  com- 
mon brotherhood  are  recognized  and  the  glaring 
contrast  between  povertv  and  wealth  graduallv 
disappears;  wIumi  professed  Christians  honestly 
endeavor  to  conform  to  His  law  of  love  in  tlieir 
relations  toothers,  indifference  to  the  welfare  of  a 
single  human  being  is  impossible,  and  all  ground 
is  taken  awav  for  the  complaint,  "'Our  einployer 
pravs  for  us  on  Suntlavs  and  preys  on  us  the  rest 
of  the  week;"  when  a  thoughtful,  Christ-like  love 
for  others  fills  the  hearts  of  men,  reforming  effort 


273 


After  Pentecost.  What? 


hcioiiiLS  preventive  no  less  than  remedial,  con- 
cerning itself  with  tlie  removal  of  the  causes  of 
future  evils  no  Uss  than  wilh  tlie  removal  of  ex- 
isting evili with  the  curing  of   tlie  deep  disease 

that  afllicts  huniiuiitv  no  less  th.in  with  the  sooth- 
ing of  its  present  pains;  in  a  word,  wlun  Christ's 
love  takes  the  world's  heart  captive  the  social 
nuUcnnium  w  ill  he  here.  Xo  more  liopeful  sign 
is  found  in  the  social  skv  tlian  that  Christ's  love 
is  slowly  hut  surciv  fllh:i„'^  tlic  life  of  the  world. 
The  world  of  to-dav,  just  lu-cause  it  has  more  of 
Christ  in  it,  is,  despite  its  horrid  cruelties,  the 
most  humane  world  the  sun  ever  shone  upon, 
Christ  has  not  lahori'  1  through  the  ages  for 
naught,  nor  has  He  s]>ent  His  strength  in  vain. 
He  has  produced  deep  and  radical  changes  in  the 
very  structure  of  socielv.  He  is  the  moving 
power  in  all  social  reform.  The  wonderful  re- 
forms which  Hi.'  has  wrought  in  individtial  lives 
are  prophetic  of  the  reformation  whiih  He  is 
working  in  societv.  He  is  not  the  Savior  of  in- 
di\  iduals  oi:iv,  hut  of  the  world  in  its  totalit}'. 
Hy  His  Spirit  living  and  working  in  humaidty 
He  is  doing  a  socializing  work  which  is  !-!lcntly 
recreating  the  life  of  the  world. 

But  while  it  is  at  once  admitted  that  the  method 
of  individualism  has  hcen  greath"  o% erworkcd, 
and  that  salvation  is  to  be  looked   upon  as  some- 


The  Inauguration  of  Spiritual  Movements. 


thing  more  than  an  in(li\  i(hial  process,  inasmuch 
as  society  is  not  a  mass  of  unrelated  units  luil  a 
liviuLj  organism,  and  the  salvation  of  one  of  its 
members  is  lik  ■  the  healiu'r  of  a  "anjfrened  limb 
which  is  i^oisonin}^  the  whole  body  ;  yet  it  must 
not  be  forjfotten  that  inasmuch  as  all  chauffe  in 
society  springs  from  change  in  the  individual, 
there  is  no  social  salvation  which  is  more  than 
skin-dee))  that  is  not  tirst  of  all  a  salvation  of 
souls.  It  has  become  the  fashion  to  say  that  we 
are  not  to  save  souls  but  to  save  men  ;  but  to  save 
the  soul  is  to  save  the  man.  By  saving  the  S(ju1 
the  hiilden  spri^igs  of  action  that  set  all  reforms 
in  mtjtion  are  touched.  Dr.  Hushnell  cut  to  the 
core  of  the  matter  when  he  saitl,  "  The  soul  of 
reformation  is  the  ic  formation  of  the  soul."  To 
make  all  things  nesv,  \<)u  must  make  all  men 
new. 

3.  Missionary  Muvc/iioits.  The  age  of  the 
.Spirit  is  the  age  of  missions.  On  the  day  of 
Pentecost  the  missionary  spirit  was  born.  All 
upon  whom  the  Spirit  foil  were  tilkii  with  "the 
power  of  a  j^neumatic  enthusiasm."  They  were 
seized  with  a  burning  desire  to  convert  the  world. 
Without  waiting  for  fields  to  open,  they  opened 
them;  without  looking  afar  for  congenial  fields, 
they  entered  those  that  were  nearest  and  neediest. 
The  burden  of  the  Loril  vvas  upon  them  to  proclaim 

-75 


After  Pentecost,  Wluil  ? 

the  glad  tidiiij^s  of  salvation  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth.  Filled  with  an  ojieralive  convietitMi  and 
inspired  hy  a  militant  faitli,  they  swept  over 
land  and  sea,  overturning  pa^an  religions  and 
hringinii^  the  nations  to  Iinnuinuers  feet.  Per- 
secution was  unavailin<^  to  daunt  their  ardor, 
or  to  check  th'ir  onward  march.  Little  did  Cu'sar 
know  of  the  power  with  whicli  he  was  contend- 
injj;  when  he  said,  "We  will  soon  make  an  end  of 
Christianity  ;  off  witii  the  heads  of  the  Chris- 
tians." Christian  hlood  flowed  likewaterj  hut 
the  blootl  of  martvrs  jjroved  to  lie  the  seed  of  the 
church.  What  could  the  swortls  of  the  hrave  Ro- 
man soldiers  who  hatl  concpiered  the  world  do 
aj^ainst  a  power  as  impalpable  as  air  -  a  power 
that  couUl  penetrate  the  closely  {guarded  walls  of 
Ciesar's  palace?  In  the  heart  of  the  church  was 
a  spirit  of  workl-widc  concpiest  which  nothiny 
could  withstand. 

Hut  a  reaction  came.  Throu<»h  doctrinal  dis- 
sension, tlie  de\  elopment  of  ecrlcsiasticism,  iuid 
tile  increase  of  worldK'  powi'r  the  lire  (>(  mission- 
ar\  zeal,  whieh  had  llamed  to  liea\i'n,  burned  low, 
and  the  ilark  a;4es  followed.  The  missionaries  of 
that  period  were  (he  monks  and  friars,  who,  amid 
dangers  and  privations  manifdid,  penetrated  the 
forests  and  swamps  of  central  and  northern  I-^u- 
rope,   carrying  to   barbarous  tribes   the   torch  of 

276 


The  Inaugurali(jn  of  Spiritual  Movements. 


cvaiij^clical  truth.  At  length  the  reformation 
came,  s-eiuUn;^  over  the  world  a  mij^hty  wave  of 
spiritiiiil  life;  Init  not  until  the  opeiiitif^  of  the 
present  century  was  the  missionary  spirit  of  Pen- 
tecost permanently  revived,  and  the  aj^c  of  uni- 
versal missions  l)rou'rht  in.  Throughout  this 
century  the  church  has  i)ut  the  fullness  of  her 
strenj^th  into  foreij^n  inis>i()iis.  (^f  late  the 
point  of  emphasis  in  Christ  an  work  has  some- 
what chan;4ed,  ([uestions  of  nulustrial  and  politi- 
cal econom\-  pushin<^  into  the  foreground  the 
claims  of  those  who  suffer  at  our  doors,  and  the 
miiigling  of  the  nations  liringiuLC  foreign  mission 
work  into  home  mission  helds;  l)ut  woe  betitle 
the  chiM'cli  if,  recreant  to  her  divine  commission, 
she  fails  to  "go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  the  whole  creation."  It  is  her  duty  to 
hold  herself  to  aggressive  gospel  work  as  a  dis- 
tinctive aim.  llcr  motto  is  not  "Hold  the  fort," 
hut  "Storm  the  fort  !"  "It  is  not  enough,"  says 
Canon  I'reemanlle,  "that  religi(jn  should  be 
merely  capable  of  defense.  It  must  lead  and  in- 
spire, or  else  it  dies."  It  is  not  enough  that  the 
church,  like  the  herb  "whose  seed  is  in  itself," 
l)ossesses  the  power  of  self-propagation;  besides 
perpetuating  her  own  life  she  is  to  save  the  world. 
It  is  not  enough  that  she  strengthen  her  bulwarks 
against  the  assaults  of  the  enemy  ;  she  is  to  come 


After  Pentecost,  Wluil? 


out  from  bcliind  her  ciitrcnchmcnt.s  and  march 
couraj^cously  forward  to  the  coiKiucst  of  tlu- 
world. 

In  her  missionary  work  the  church  is  one  with 
the  Sjjirit.  In  one  <j^ospeI  call  their  voices  hlend. 
"The  Spirit  and  the  hride  say,  Come";  the  one 
speaking  inwardly,  the  other  outwardly, and  hoth 
uniting  in  the  same  in\  italioii  to  thirsty  souls  to 
"come  and  take  of  tlic  water  of  life  freely."  Fol- 
lowing the  Spirit's  lead,  the  church  is  not  to  he 
content  with  hringing  Christ  to  men,  but  it  is  to 
labor  to  bring  men  to  Christ;  not  content  with 
taking  the  things  of  Christ  and  holding  them  up 
before  men  for  their  emulation  and  imitation,  she 
is  to  press  them  warmly  upon  their  acceptance; 
not  content  with  pointing  to  the  remedy  provided 
in  Christ  for  sin,  she  is  to  strive  to  induce  sinful 
souls  to  make  personal  application  of  it,  that  the 
atoning  sacrifice  of  Calvary  may  become  a  saving 
influence  in  the  lives  of  indiv  idual  men,  and  in 
the  larger  life  of  the  world.  Nothing  short  of 
this  can  furnish  a  sullicient  missionary  aim,  or  a 
suflicient  missionary  motive.  In  the  train  of  mis- 
sionary hd)(jrs  come  schools  and  coUeufcs,  art  and 
commerce,  and  all  that  is  included  in  (Jhristian 
civilization,  but  the  central  object  and  the  domi- 
nating motive  in  all  missionary  effort  is  the  sal- 
vation of  men  from  the  power  of  sin. 

278 


Tilt'  Inauguration  of  Spiritual  Movements. 

As  this  missionary  aj^e  runs  its  j^lorious  course 
a  larj^cr  measure  of  missionary  intelligence  antl 
zeal  is  constantly  demanded  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  standarii  of  enlij^ditenment  and  consecration 
allowable  in  less  privileged  times  is  too  low  for 
the  present.  Wendell  l'liiilij)s  has  said  that  "  to 
be  as  g'ood  as  (;ur  fathers  we  must  be  better  than 
they."  The  II(jly  Spirit  has  a  ri^^'ht  to  expect 
greater  things  of  the  Christians  of  to-day  with 
respect  to  the  \V(jrk  of  missions  than  lie  could  rea- 
sonably have  expected  of  the  Christians  of  any 
former  age ;  for  before  them  is  the  accumulated 
experience  of  past  missionary  efforts,  and  behind 
them  is  the  accumulated  momentum  of  past  mis- 
sionary movements.  The  Spirit  is  endeavoring 
to  bring  the  church  into  line  with  the  advancing 
purpose  of  God  in  the  world.  The  church  is 
sometimes  blamed,  and  not  unjustly,  for  not  keep- 
ing in  step  with  the  progress  of  the  age.  The 
world  is  moving,  and  the  church  ought  to  move 
with  it;  but  what  is  still  more  important  is  to  see 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  moving  and  that  the  church 
should  keep  pace  with  His  onwartl  march.  There 
is  no  stop[)ing  j)lace  in  the  progress  of  the  king- 
dom. Every  forward  movement  is  preparatory 
to  a  still  larger  one.  The  times  are  pregnant 
with  destiny.  The  preparations  for  the  coming 
of  Christ  in  the  Hesh  were  not  more  marked  than 

279 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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V 


Photogmpliic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.M580 

(716)  872-4503 


^ 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 

are  the  preparations  for  the  coining  of  some 
mighty  spiritual  movement  in  which  the  glories 
of  the  kingdom  of  righteousness  shall  culminate. 
There  is  "a  sound  of  marching  in  the  tops  of  the 
mulberry  trees,"  which  is  the  signal  for  the 
church  to  bestir  herself,  and  to  follow  the  all- 
conquering  Spirit  wlu)  is  going  before  her  to 
lead  her  to  victory.  All  the  lines  of  providential 
opportunity  are  converging  to  the  accomplishment 
of  the  world's  redemption.  The  barriers  of  race- 
prejudice  are  breaking  down,  scaled  empires  are 
opening  up,  and  the  ends  of  the  earth  are  being 
brought  together  that  "the  door  of  faith  may  be 
opened  to  the  nations."  The  claims  of  men  may 
not  be  more  pressing  than  they  have  always 
been,  but  they  have  grown  more  clamorous;  the 
Macedonian  cry,  "Come  over  and  help  us,"  may 
not  be  more  urgent  than  it  has  always  been,  but 
it  has  grown  multitudinous  as  the  voice  of  many 
waters.  In  the  claims  of  humanity  may  the 
church. recognize  the  claims  of  her  Lord,  and  in 
the  cry  of  humanity  the  call  of  her  Lordl 


280 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  SPIHITUAI.  KINGDOM. 

"The  task  of  the  society  which  Christ  founded  is  to  bring 
about  His  uaiversal  dorninioa;  it  is  to  mike  the  kingdoms 
of  tha  woild  to  be  kingdoms  which  are  not  of  this  world." 

W.  H.  Frebmantle. 

After  Pentecost  the  church ;  through  the 
church  the  kingdom.  That  is  God's  order.  The 
prophecy  of  the  kingdom  declared  in  the  Old 
Testament  and  reafHrmed  in  the  New,  is,  as  Isaac 
Taylor  has  said,  "  the  drum  beat  to  which  modern 
progress  marches."  It  is  also  the  drum  heat 
to  which  the  church  militant  marches.  The 
thing  which  the  Holy  vSpirit  seeks  to  realize 
through  the  co-operative  activity  of  the  church 
is  the  establishment  of  the  spiritual  rule  of  God 
upon  the  earth.  The  unceasing  prayer  of  the 
church  is,  "Thy  kingdom  come";  and  when  the 
church  offers  that  prayer  intelligently,  she  looks 
for  the  coming  of  the  kingdom,  not  by  some  dis- 
play of  outward  glory,  but  by  the  operation  of 
forces  already  lodged  within  her  heart,  or  placed 
within  her  reach. 

Christ  is  represented  in  the  gospels  as  going 
into  a  far  country  "  to  receive  for  Himself  a  king- 
dom, and  to  return."     The  kingdom  is  got  wh'.o 

281 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


He  is  away;  it  is  got  by  His  going  away;  it  is 
put  i  Jto  His  possession  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  whose 
coming  is  conditioned  upon  His  going.  The  de- 
scent of  the  Spirit  made  the  establishment  of  His 
kingdom  possible;  the  continued  presence  of  the 
Spirit  makes  its  establishment  certain.  Were  the 
Spirit  to  withdraw  from  the  world  there  would 
be  nothing  to  keep  it  from  sinking  into  depths  of 
darkness  and  sin  from  wliich  there  could  be  no 
recovery.  His  abiding  preser.ce  and  persevering 
effort  are  prophetic  of  the  final  victory  of  right- 
eousness ;  ihcy  insure  that  idlimately  there  shall 
be  a  world  in  which  Christ's  ideas  and  ideals 
liave  S(^.ereigii  sway — a  world  in  which  the 
Savior  of  men  is  the  Sovereign  of  men. 

I.  The  kingdom  which  the  Spirit  isnow  estab- 
lishing through  the  churci  is  a  spiritual  king- 
dom. As  the  history  of  the  world  is  divided 
into  two  parts,  before  Clirist  and  after  Christ,  so 
the  history  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth 
is  divided  into  two  parts,  before  Pentecost  and 
after  Pentecost.  Before  Pentecost  the  kingdom 
of  God  was  outward  and  temporal.  This  was  its 
Jewish  form.  The  Jewish  Messiah  was  not  a 
spiritual  king,  but  a  world-ruler,  the  restorer  of 
the  Davidic  dynasty.  The  Jewish  Messianic 
hope  was  not  a  spiritual  but  a  temporal  kingdom  ; 
not    the  reign  of   righteousness,  but  of   worldly 

282 


A  Spiritual  Kingdom. 


power;  not  restored  souls,  but  a  restored  city; not 
the  triumph  of  spiritual  ideas  and  principles,  but 
the  return  of  national  glory  and  supremacy.      In 
opposition  to  their   preconceived    ideas  Jesus  an- 
nounced that  the  i<iTi<^d()m  of   God    was  "  not  of 
this  world,"  but  was  a  heavenly  thing,  a  thing  of 
the  spirit,  and  that  those  only  who  were  born  of 
the  Spirit  could  enter  it.      And  when   the   people 
wondcringly  inciuired  when  the  l<ingdom  of  God 
would  appear,  Jesus    startled    them  by  declaring, 
"The  kingdom  of  God  is  among  you."      It  was 
already  present,  but   in  their  blindness  they  did 
not  see  it,because,  being  a  spiritual  kingdom,  it  is 
spiritually  discerned.      It  was  hard   for  them  to 
believe  in  a  kingdom  which   came   not   with  out- 
ward pomp  and  show;  but  not  more  hard  than  it 
has  always  been  for  sense-bound  souls  to  believe 
in  a  kingdom  whose  king  and    court   are    out  of 
sight.      Mow    difficult   it   was    for    Jesus  to  drill 
into   the   minds   of    His   disciples   the   first   con- 
ception of  His  kingdom   as  spiritual!     As  some 
one  has  pointed  out,  when   He  spoive  to  His  dis- 
ciples of  "the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  they  empha- 
sized  the   word   kingdom^  while   He  emphasized 
the  word  heaven.      Almost  to  the  last  disputations 
would  arise  among  them  as  to  who  should  be  the 
greatest  in   the  visible   kingdom   which    He  was 
expected  soon  to  set  up.     Not  until  after  Pcnte- 

283 


After  Pertecost,  What? 


cost  was  the  idea  of  a  temporal  kinj^dom  finally 
abandoned.  The  coming  of  the  Spirit  was  to 
the  disciples  the  coming  of  the  spiritual  kingdom. 
When  they  knew  Christ  after  the  flesh  no  more, 
they  knew  His  kingdom  after  the  flesh  no  more. 
At  the  feet  of  an  invisilile  king  they  prostrated 
themselves  in  loving  submission;  under  the  ban- 
ner of  an  invisible  king  they  marched  exultantly 
forth  to  the  concpiest  of  the  world. 

The  sphere  of  this  spiritual  kingdom  is  earth. 
Although  not  a  fleshly  kingdom,  it  is  realized,  as 
St.  Ignatius  has  expressed  it,  "in  flesh  and  in 
spirit."  Although  not  a  kingdom  of  this  world, 
it  is  a  kingdom  in  this  world.  This  distinction 
was  but  dimly  discerned  by  St.  Augustine  in  his 
"City  of  God."  When  that  great  work  was  writ- 
ten the  Visigoths  had  overrun  Europe;  Rome 
was  sacked;  the  heathen  faiths  were  crumbling 
to  decay  ;  thrones  were  tottering  to  their  fall ;  and 
the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  were  shaken  to  their 
center.  Looking  upon  the  wreck  of  Rome, 
Jerome  had  mournfully  asked,  "  Who  is  safe  when 
Rome  falls?"  To  comfort  God's  saints  in  the 
hour  of  darkness  Augustine  reminded  them  that 
the  kingdom  of  God  is  eternal;  that  it  is  "a  king- 
dom that  cannot  be  moved." 

"For  not  like  kingdoms  of  the  world 
Thy  holy  church,  O  God  : 
Though  earthquake  shocks  are  threatening  her, 

284 


A  Spiritual  Kingdom. 

And  tempests  are  abroad; 
Unshaken  as  eternal  hills, 

Immovable  she  stands, 
A  mountain  that  shall  fill  the  earth, 

A  house  not  made  with  hr>nds." 

Hut  the  kingdom  pictured  by  Augustine  as  out- 
lasting the  ruin  of  Rome  was  not  a  new  civic  or- 
der to  be  realized  here  and  now,  but  something 
which  was  to  come  in  some  other  world,  in  the 
remote  future.  With  clearer  vision  the  apostle 
John  at  the  close  of  his  Revelation,  in  describing 
the  final  development  of  the  kingdom,  makes 
earth  the  scene  of  its  glories.  From  a  mountain 
great  and  high  he  is  shown  "  the  holy  city  Jeru- 
salem coming  down  out  of  heaven  from  God."  It 
is  no  city  in  the  clouds  that  he  sees,  but  a  center 
of  order  and  government  established  on  the  earth  ; 
he  sees  the  regnancy  of  the  principles  of  justice 
and  love  in  human  affairs;  he  sees  heaven  com- 
ing down  to  earth,  and  earth  brought  into  har- 
mony with  heaven. 

The  establishment  of  the  spiritual  rule  of  God 
on  the  earth  is  the  final  end  to  which  all  the  ac- 
tivities of  the  church  are  directed.  She  does  not 
live  for  herself.  She  is  an  instrumentality  rather 
than  an  end.  Her  business  in  this  world  is  to 
bring  in  the  kingdom.  She  is  to  seek  self-en- 
largement only  in  so  far  as  it  may  lead  to  the 
enlargement  of  the  kingdom.  Her  great  concern 
is  not  to  save  herself,  but  to  save  the  world.     In- 

285 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


stead  of  expending  her  encrp;ies  hi  the  effort  to 
keep  hersL'lf  ahve  she  is  to  expend  her  cnerpjies 
in  giving  hfe  to  a  perishing  world.      The  state- 
ment of  Neandcr  that  "  the  church  is  the  final  aim 
which  Christ  proposes  to  his  activity" 'ought  to 
he    changed   into,  "the  kingdom   is  the  final   aim 
which   Christ   proposes    to    his   activity."     And 
the  final  aim  of  Christ  ought  to  he  the  final  aim 
of   the   church.     To  estahlish  the  kingly  rule  of 
Christ  upon  earth,  to  hring  in  the  hcttcr   time  of 
which  men  dream,  the  time  when   there  will  he 
no  selfish  struggle  for  supremacy,  the  time  when 
order  shall  exist  without  tyranny  and  individual- 
ism without  selfishness;  to  produce  a  new  earth 
wherein   dwelleth    righteousness,    hy    producing 
new  men  in  whom  dwelleth  love,  is   the  ultimate 
object  of  all  her  manifold  ministrations.    For  that 
she   unceasingly   labors  and   prays;  for  that  she 
freely  expends  her  choicest   treasure  of  men  and 
means.     The  explanation  of  her  untiring  toil  is 
found  in  her  inborn  purpose  to  destroy  the  king- 
dom of   Satan,  which  is  the  kingdom  of  selfish- 
ness, and  to  set  up  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  which 
is  the  kingdom  of  lovo.    Dr.  Julius  Kaftan  rightly 
regards  tlic  kingdom  of  (joil  as  "  the  supreme  good 
which  the  Cliristian   religion  offers  to  man,"  and 
finds  the  value  in  the  church  tested  by  what  she 
is  doing  to  serve  the  purposes  of  this  kingdom. 

2R6 


A  Spiritual  Kingdom. 

The  method  by  which  the  church  seeks  to  real- 
ize the  kingdom   is   that   of  gradual    permeation 
and  not  of   violent   separation.     She  is  the  vital 
germ  from   which   the  kingdom  is  built   up,  the 
seminal  center  around  which  the  kingdom  is  con- 
structed.    Working  from    within    outwards,  she 
gathers  into  herself  everything  that  can  be  assimi- 
lated and    made  contributory  to  spiritual  growth, 
until  she  becomes  in   her    enlarging    life  a  pro- 
phetic   embodiment    of    the    kingdom.     As    the 
Spirit's  agent  she  is  to  do  the  Spirit's  work  in 
the  Spirit's  way.      She  is  to  veil  her  presence  and 
work  out  of  sight  as  the  Spirit  is  doing,  "toiling 
like  the  roses  under  the  night  in  silence,  and  ex- 
pecting no  mortal   applause."     She  is  to  be  will- 
ing to  be  denied   recognition;  she  is  to  be   ready 
to  lose  her  life  that  she  may  find  it  again  in  the 
larger  life  of  the  world;  she  is  to  be  the  social 
solvent  which  loses  its  identity  in  uniting  all  the 
forces  which  make  for  social  righteousness;  she 
is  to  be  the  power  behind  the  throne  which  com- 
bines and  controls  the  world-forces  around  her, 
making  them  operate  in  harmony  for  the  fruition 
of   the  purposes  of   God.     Who  ever  gives  the 
Holy   Spirit  credit   for   His   work?     And    why 
should  it  be  thought  strange  if  the  hidden  work 
of  the  spiritual  worker  should  pass  unnoticed  and 
unpraised.*"     Is  a  servant  to  expect  appreciation 

287 


After  Pentecost,  What: 


denied  his  Lord?  Or  is  one  who  is  sent  to  ex- 
pect honor  denied  to  him  that  sent  him?  The 
hest  achievements  are  not  those  which  bulk  larj^- 
est  in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  Church  statistics 
are  often  a  delusion  and  a  snare.  The  finest  and 
most  far-reachiM<f  results  arc  those  which  cannot 
lie  tabulated.  In  one  aspect  of  its  development 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  the  mustard  seed, 
which  reveals  itself  openl}',  j^rowinj^  from  an  un- 
promising beginning  to  a  tree  of  ample  propor- 
tions; in  another  aspect  it  is  like  leaven,  which 
works  silently  and  secretly,  moving  through  the 
meal  from  particle  to  particle,  until  the  whole 
mass  is  leavened.  Never  is  its  progress  that  of 
the  destructive  cyclone,  with  ruined  institutions 
in  its  track.  When  it  sweeps  away  old,  outworn 
institutions  it  is  always  that  new  institutions  may- 
take  their  places.  When  the  temple  fell  the  church 
rose.  The  church  itself  is  temporal;  the  king- 
dom alone  is  eternal.  Of  the  city  of  God  St. 
John  says,  "I  saw  no  temple  therein,  for  the  Lord 
God  Almighty  and  the  Lamb  are  the  temple 
thereof."  The  church_^  passes  away  when  its 
work  is  done,  but  the  kingdom  unto  which  it 
melts  endures  forever. 

2.  The  spiritual  kingdom  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  establishing  through  the  church  is  a 
universal  kingdom.      It  is  universal  because  it  is 

288 


A  Spiritual  Kingdom. 


spiritual;  for  only  to  the  spiritual  does  univer- 
sality belong. 

The  gospel  which  Jesus  preached  was  "  the 
gospel  of  the  kingdom,"  the  good  news  concern- 
ing the  restoration  of  the  world  to  the  divine  or- 
der, of  which  every  sin  is  a  violation;  and  al- 
though for  a  time  He  kept  the  founding  of  His 
church  a  profound  secret,  He  well  knew  that  be- 
fore the  kingdom  could  come  it  was  necessary 
that  the  church  be  instituted.  The  church  is  es- 
sential to  the  kingdom;  it  is  the  .Spirit's  agency 
for  accomplishing  the  redemption  of  humanity  ; 
it  is  the  elect  society  from  which  a  regenerated 
humanity  is  to  be  developed.  It  is  a  mistake  to 
regard  the  church  as  consisting  of  a  cliosen  few 
to  whom  God's  grace  is  limited;  it  is  rather  the 
saved  and  saving  remnant  by  which  God's  pur- 
pose of  universal  salvation  is  to  be  wrought  out. 
To  say  that  the  church  is  for  the  kingdom  is  an- 
other way  of  saying  that  the  church  is  for  hu- 
manity. 

Much  confusion  of  thought  exists  regarding 
the  relation  of  the  church  to  the  kingdom.  The 
two  terms,  "church"  and  "kingdom,"  are  often 
used  interchangeably ;  but  although  at  certain 
points  they  overlap,  a  valid  distinction  always  ex- 
ists between  them.  The  kingdom  is  not,  like  the 
church,  an  outward  organization  with  creeds  and 

289 


After  Pentecost,  What  ? 


confessions  for  its  passports  of  entry,  and  with 
rules  and  rituals  for  its  inward  a(hTiinistration, 
but  an  invisible  spiritual  empire  composed  of 
those  who  yield  their  hearts  to  the  drawinj^s  of 
the  divine  Spirit,  and  follow  His  Icadinj;  in  their 
lives.  What  an  edifice  of  error  has  been  built 
upon  the  doctrine  that  there  is  salvation  oidy  in 
tho  church  when  all  that  there  is  warrant  fo; 
aflir.Tjing  is  that  there  is  salvation  only  in  the 
kingdom!  As  compared  with  the  church,  "the 
kingdom  is  the  larger  category."*  Heing  wider 
t'  M\  the  church,  it  embraces  many  whom  the 
ciiurch  excludes.  Partakers  of  the  divine  life 
constitute  the  kingdom,  professed  believers  con- 
stitute the  church;  the  kingdom  is  the  inner  do- 
minion of  God  over  the  heart,  the  church  is  an 
outward  communion  founded  upon  open  confes- 
sion of  Christ.  As  we  now  behold  it,  the  church 
is  the  brotherhood  of  Christ;  the  spiritual  family 
of  which  He  is  the  head;  the  elect  band  of  dis- 
ciples which  He  has  gathered  around  Himself 
and  bound  together  by  the  tics  of  mutual  faith 
and  love;  the  community  of  believing  souls  which 
He  has  called  out  of  the  world  and  chosen  to  be 
His  representatives.  As  the  Seer  of  Patmos  be- 
holds it,  the  church  has  grown  into  the  kingdom. 
Those  redeemed  out  of  the  nations  arc  constituted 


♦"The  Kingdom  of  God,"  Prof.  A.  B.  Bruce,  p.  464. 

290 


A  Spiritual  Kingdom. 


unto  God  "a  kiii<^dom  and  priests."  A  perfect 
sociul  state,  in  vvhicli  the  bovereij^nty  of  God  is 
realized,  has  at  len<^th  bet u  reached. 

The  church  then,  as  it  now  exists,  is  something 
more  than  a  standinj;    vitne-s  to  the   '  oiistant   in- 
dvvellinj;  of  tlic  llol^  Spirit,  in  human  souls  and 
in  human  society.      It  is  lb  •  pledj^e  of  a  rej^ener- 
ated    humanity.      It    is   a    microcosm  containinj^ 
within  itself  the  rudiment'-  of  a  world-wide  em- 
pire.     It  is  a  cir  le  within  a  circle  ;  a  t  Itadel  with- 
in a  fortress;  the   ^rand    metropolitan   center  of 
the   kinj^dom,  from    which    go  forth   the  aggres- 
sive agencies  which  are  to  coiupier  the  world,  and 
bring  it  under  the  sway  of  the   Prince  of  Peace; 
the  nucleus  of  a   new   society   embracing    in   its 
completed    form    the    wdnde  of    humankind.      In 
its  present  stage  of  development  the  church  is  a 
society  gathered  out  of  the  world,  in  its  ultimate 
stage  of  dcveloj)mcnt  it  is  the  world  gathered  into 
a  society;  in  the  present  stage  of  develoijmenl  it 
is  the  creating  center  of  a  imiversal   kingdom,  in 
its  ultimate  stage  of  development  it  is  the  univer- 
sal kingdom  consunimated  by  the  transformation 
of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world   into  the  kingdom 
of  our  God  and  of   His  Christ.      The  church  is 
destined  to  expand  until  she  fills  the  world;  then 
she  will  vanish  from  si^jht,  being  lost  in  the  king- 
dom which  she  has  created,  as  the  seed  is  lost  in 

the  flower. 

291 


After  Pentecost,  What? 


That  she  may  fulfill  her  mission  of  extending 
over  all  the  earth  the  sovereign  rule  of  the  un- 
seen king  before  whom  angels  bow,  the  church 
is  filled  with  the  fullness  of  the  Spirit.  Suffi- 
ciency of  power  is  given  unto  her  to  enable  her  to 
overcome  all  antagonistic  forces,  to  mould  human 
institutions,  to  create  a  new  social  order,  and  to 
regenerate  the  moral  life  of  the  world.  At  her 
command  are  boundless  resources  which  she  da-e 
not  distrust.  She  sees  abounding  iniquity,  but 
she  sees  also  abounding  fullness  of  grace  flowing 
into  the  world  from  the  Spirit  of  God,  sustaining 
and  enlarging  the  life  of  man,  filling  the  race 
with  new  possibilities  and  powers,  and  leading  it 
on  towards  the  realization  of  the  lofty  ideal  after 
which  it  has  been  painfully  struggling.  Before 
her  floats  the  open  vision  of  "a  kingdom  that 
ruleth  over  all,"  a  vision  that  feeds  her  noblest 
hopes,  inspires  her  highest  achievements  and 
causes  her  heart  to  burn  with  an  unquenchable 
spirit  of  conquest,  which  nothing  less  than  the 
subjection  of  the  whole  world  to  Christ  will  sat- 
isfy. At  her  best  the  church  is  full  of  faults, she 
has  many  a  spot  and  wrinkle;  yet  the  sublime 
purpose  which  she  cherishes  in  her  heart  is  intel- 
ligently, resolutely,  and  perseveringly  pursued. 
An  ideal  church  may  nowhere  be  found,  but  a 
church  with  an  ideal  is  found  wherever  there  is  a 

292 


A  Spiritual  Kingdom. 

church  in  which  the  Spirit  dwells.  In  spite  of 
all  her  failures  to  reach  her  ideal,  the  church  re- 
mains fjlowingly  optimistic.  Ilcrs  is  an  auda- 
cious confidence,  a  serene  hopefulness.  She  lives 
in  wondering  expectation  of  the  great  things 
which  the  Spirit  of  God  will  do  next.  She  be- 
lieves that  great  events  are  struggling  to  the  birth 
in  the  womb  of  the  {^resent.  She  "abounds  in 
hope  through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit." 
(Rom.  XV.  13.)  As  the  Holy  Spirit  fills  her  life 
the  never-failing  hope  which  lie  empowers  her  to 
cherish  grows  from  a  feeble,  flickering  light,  to 
a  "light  which  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the 
perfect  day."  Going  forth  to  the  toilsome  tasks 
of  the  present,  she  is  "by  a  vision  splendid  on  her 
way  attended"  ;  through  rents  in  her  prison-house 
of  clay  she  catches  glimpses  of  the  coming  of  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  ;  she  sees  waves  of  spiritual  in- 
fluences sweeping  in  from  the  Infinite, and  lapping 
all  the  shores  of  life;  she  sees  the  dream  of  an- 
cient Israel  brought  to  fulfillment;  she  sees  Pente- 
cost become  a  worUl-wide  experience  in  the  in- 
carnation of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  whole  life  of 
humanity  ;  she  sees  the  Man  of  Calvary  at  length 
become  the  acknowledged,  as  He  is  now  the  right- 
ful sovereign,  of  that  moral  empire  which  sweeps 
the  circle  of  creation. 


293 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Abelard 32 

Alford 82 

Altar,  misuse  of  the  term 53 

Altruism,  origin  of 272 

A  m  brose 215 

Ainiel 16,  63 

Anthony,  St.,  vi^ion  of 48 

Antliropomorphism   41 

Anointing  of  the  Spirit 168 

Arcana  Celestia 72 

Arnold,  Matthew 37,  112 

Athanasius 228 

Augustine 7,  44,  82,  284 

Authority,  Spiritual 122 

— Compatible  with  freedom.,   128 

—Rational 132 

Aquinas,  Thos 243 

Baptism  of  the  Spirit 210 

Baptist,  John  the 211 

Bengel 27 

Bazaleel 145 

B'ble,  an  illuminated 63 

Bible  Commentary 201 

Bl'isphemy    against  the    Holy 

Spirit 207 

Blondel  the  French  Minstrel, . .     22 

Brace,  Loring  C 267,  271 

Browning,  Mrs 31 

Bruce,  Prof.  A,  B 214,223,290 

Btmyan,  John,  on  Bigotry 256 

Burial  Hill  Declaration 247 

Bushnell,  Horace 218,  275 

Chalmers,  Dr.  Thomas 108 

Charismata  described 139 

Chillingworth 70 

Christ,  a  spiritual 166 

Christianity  a  social  religion..  252 
Christian  Doctrine,  by  Dale.. .     33 


PACE. 

Christian  priesthood 54 

Cliurch.  the;  born  of  the  Spirit.  247 

-Ruled  by  the  Spirit 24K 

—Has  fellowship  in  the  Spirit  251 

—  United  in  the  Spirit 253 

— Directed  by  the  Spirit 257 

Cicero 192 

City  of  God,  Augustine's 289 

Clemens,  Bishop  of  kime...  .  43 
Comforter,  nuMning  of  lerm. . .  157 
Cousuiumator,  the  Spirit  as. .  .  200 
Co!isci;-nce  and  Consciousness.  123 
Cnyle's,  Dr.  J., "The  Holy  Spir- 
it in  Literature  and  Life.".     36 

Cyprl.in   165 

Cyril  of  Jerusalem 139 

Dale,  R.  W 11,  33 

Dante 263 

Delitzsch 80 

Donald,  Geo.  Mac 164 

Distribution;;  of  the  Holy  Spirit  137 

Dort,  The  Synod  of 160 

Drummond.  Prof.  Henry.. .157,  %J2 

Edwards,  Pres i8s 

Ellicott,  Bishop 207 

Emblems  of  the  Spirit;  fire    ...   118 

—Water 119 

— A  dove 120 

Emerson 78,137 

Erasmus 17a 

Ethnic  religions  stationary 263 

Executive  of  Christ,  the  Spirit 

the 230 

Ezekiel's  vision  of  the  wheels.  264 

Faith  cure     239 

Fairbairn's  Studies  in  the  Phi- 
losophy of  Religion  and 
History U3 


294 


INDEX. 


PACE. 

Faraday 235 

Fenelon,  on  the  inward  voice.,  174 

Finney,  Pres 144 

— His  experience j2i 

Fiske,  Prof 266 

Fletcher  of  Madeley 86 

Fox,  Geo 62 

Fullness  of  the  Spirit 88 

Freeinantle,  Canon 277,  281 

Gifts,  Spiritual 137 

—Varied 142 

— Specialized 145 

— Are  means  to  ends 150 

Gladstone's  experience 37 

God,  a  spiritual 32 

G  ordon,  A.  J 246 

Gore,  CanoD 8,  199 

Greek    Mythology,  illustration 

from lOQ 

Grieving  the  Spirit 904 

Growth,  Spiritual 165 

Gurnal! 64 

Hare's  Mission  of  the  Comforter  14 

Harnack 36 

Hassc,  F.  R ...  263 

Hezekiah,  an  idol-breaker...   .     51 

Hodge,  A.  A 80 

Holiness,  spiritual 108 

— Inward 112 

—Consists  of  wholeness,   ....  116 
Hours  with  the  Mystics,   R.  A. 

Vaughan 49 

Howe,  John 198 

Hudson.  Thomson  Jay 239 

Hugo,  Victor 55 

Hypnotism 176 

Ignatius 284 

Indwelling  of  the  Spirit 196 

Influx  of  spiritual  life 80 

Inscribing  of  the   Spirit 186 

Inspiration 189 

—Wrongly  located 189 

— Always  speciali-ed 190 


PAGE, 
—A    perpetual    fact   and  ex- 
perience   191 

Institutional  Church 2O0 

Intercession  of  the  Spirit 193 

Irenaeus 38 

Jerome 108,  284 

Jerusak"!,  destruction  of 52 

Kaftan,  Dr.  Julius a86 

Keble aio 

Kidd,  nenjamin 272 

Kingdom,  a  spiritual a8i 

—Established  by  the  church.  281 

—  Heavenly 283 

—Earthly 284 

— Universal  288 

Lange 209 

Law,  William 192 

Leading  of  the  Spirit 175 

Life,  Spiritual 80 

—The  highest 85 

—Spiritualized 103 

Luthardt,  C.  Ernst 177 

Luther 77,  82,  no,  160 

Lux  Mundi 8,  igg 

Lynch,  Tlios.  T 108 

Man,  animal gg 

—Natural 97 

— Spiritual 98 

Manning   Cardinal 173,  246 

Martin,  Dr.  VV.  A 43 

Materialism,  tendency  towards.    13 

— How  to  overcome 99 

Matheson,  Geo 29 

Me>er 82 

Mills,  B.   Fay 129 

Miracles  of  healing 236 

Missionary  Movements 275 

Moody,  D.  L 192 

Movements,  spiritual 2O3 

M'lzley,  Canon 64 

Napoleon  on  the  Bible 66 

Neander 386 


295 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Nbbushtan Si 

Newton,  John i09 

Old  Town  Folks,  Mrs.  Stowe. .  252 

Operations,  Spiritual i53 

Crimen ^3 

Osterzee,  Van 33.  '53 

Paraclete,  meaning  or  the  term.  157 

Parousia,  the '8 

Pauline  Theology 114 

Pentecost,  significanceof u 

Personality  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  36 

Philanthropic  movements »66 

Phillips,  Wendell 279 

Plato 48 

Power,  Spiritual »io 

— Personalizec  «i5 

—How  obtained 22» 

Prayer,  philosophy  of 162 

Preacher,  a  seer  74 

Progressive,  the  Spirit 69 

Protestantism,    fundamental 

principleof 7° 

Psychic  Phenomena,   underly- 

inK  law  of 339 

Quenching  the  Spirit 2o6 

Reformers  on  the  infusion  of 

the  Spirit 160 

Regenerating  work  of  the  Spirit  159 

268 
167 
202 

>7 
89 

49 


Religion  peripatetic 

Renewing  of  the  Holy  Spirit. . 
Resisting  of  the  Holy  Spirit... 
Return  of  Christ  in  the  Spirit. 

Revelation  progressive 

Ritualism,  tendency  to 

Ritschilian  Theology 26 

Roman  Catholic  Church, claims 

of 70 

Rutherford,  Samuel 144 

Salvation  Army,  the 144 

Salvation  by  displacement 108 

Sanday,  Prof.,  on  Inspiration..   190 


PACE. 

Scheffler 167 

Seagrave,  R 95 

Sealing  of  the  Spirit 183 

Shakespe.nre 11*.  I37 

Smeaton,  Dr.  Geo 7 

Society, formation  of  a  Spiritual  246 

Social  Movements 269,  271 

Sociologl;;al  revival,  a 270 

Socrates 17S 

Spencer,  Herbert i2j 

Spirit-filled  life,  a 86 

Storrs,  R.  S 267 

Striving  of  the  Spirit ao2 

Swedenborg 73 

Teaching  of  the  Twelve,  the. ..  171 

Teaching  ot  the  Spirit 171 

Telepathy   77.  '76 

Temporal  Mission  of  the  Holy 

Ghost 246 

Tennyson 47 

Theology  progressive 67 

Tholuck    16 

Thorburn,  Bishop 155 

Training  of  the  Tw  ^Ive 2:4 

Tripartite  nature  of  man 97 

Truth,  spiritual  apprehension 

of 62 

Ubiquity  of  the  Holy  Spirit 44 

Unity  of  Christi.m  experience.     84 
Universality  of  the  Spirit's  op- 
erations     42 

United  Presbyterians 2S« 

Unto  the  Uttermost i^. 

Wayland,  Pres I35 

Whittier 10 

Williams,  Sir  Monier 57 

Witness  of  the  Spirit 179 

Works,  production  of  spiritual.  228 

Worship,  spiritual 47 

—Tendency  to  formality  in. . .  50 

Xavier's  prayer  for  enlargement   85 


296 


INDEX  or  TEXTS. 


GENESIS. 

EXODUS. 

NUMBERS. 

I  KINGS. 

I  CHRONICLES. 


Page. 

, ..  4* 
.  .■  M5 
...  75 
. ..  go 
...    76 


85 


Chap. 

VI.  3  ••• 

XXI.  3-5 

XI.  29... 

XIX.  u. 

XXV.  5      ••• 

JOB. 

XXXII.  8 M7 

PSALMS. 

LXVIII.    13 "° 

CX.3 *" 

CIX.  7.  8 45 

PROVERBS. 

XXIX.  18 75 

ISAIAH. 

XL  a "^ 

XLI.  15.  j6 «'9 

LXIII.  10 42 

MICAH. 

11.  7 87 

MALACHl. 

II.  15 "7 

MATTHEW. 

IV.  1 "77 

X.  20 2>» 

XII.  as "7 

XII.  31.3a 32,208 

XXVIIl.  i8,  19 214 

XXVIIl.  20 18 

MARK. 

I.  8 an 

X.  8 237 

XVI.  17,  18 237 

LUKE. 

III.  aa "6 

IV.  I,  a "6 


159 
aio 

J  59 
34 

47 

Ua 


Chap.  Page. 

IV.  M "6 

IV.  18 "7 

XL  20 aag 

JOHN. 

I.  13 

I.  33 

HI.  5,7 

IV.  a3 

IV.  3a 

VII.  37 

XIV.  12 235 

XIV.  15,  17 «°» 

XIV.  iG 69 

XVI.  8 156 

XVI.  12,  13 69 

ACTS. 
I   2 124,  aa8 

I.  5.  8 *" 

II.  17.  18 74 

II.  32 «9 

II.  33 86,  185 

VII.  51 42.  ao3 


X.  38 "9 

XIII.  2,  4 '49 

XIX.  2 '85 

XX.  28 249 

ROMANS. 

L  4 "7 

II.  28 "4 

Vlll.  a »59 

VIII.  9 


lOI 


VIII.  13 "" 

VIII.  14 '76 

VIII.  16  "79 

VIII.  18 "98 

VIII.  a6 "93 

1  CORINTHIANS. 

IV.  15 '^3 

IV.  16 '65 

VI.  19 '99 


297 


INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


Chap.  Page.    Chap,  Page. 

I  CORINTHIANS.— Continued.  a  TIMOTHY. 

XII.  4.6 139    in.  i6 igi 

IV.  JO  240 

TITUS. 

III.  5,  7 119,   167 

PHILEMON. 

I,  10 it] 

HEBREWS. 
II-    4 »37 


XII.  8,  II 139 

XIV.  la 150 

a  CORINTHIANS. 

I.  aa 183 

in.  a 187 

III.  18 28 

IV.  16  165 


V.  16 a4  IX.  14 117 

XIII,  14  138  X.  12,13 244 

GALATIANS.  X.  14 27 

IV.  6 182    X.  15,  16 12a,  180 

..  109    X.  29 205 

:  PETER. 


184 

59 

28 


V.  x6 

EPHESIANS. 

I.  13 

11.18 

III.  16,  19 

IV.  6 

IV.  8 

IV.  30 204 

V.  18 88 

PHILirPIANS. 

II.  3 loa 

"I  13  5J 

I  THESSALONIANS. 
V.  15 206 

a  THESSALONIANS. 

I.  7 18    XI.  II. 

XV.  13 


I.  2 2Z 

I.   13    18 

I.   23 164 

igfi    II'  ly 57 

137    III.  18 117 

2  PETER. 

I.  21 17a 

I  JOHN. 

II.  20 169 

JUDE. 

I-  19 96 

I.  20 195 

REVELATION. 

164 

893 


298 


